In the digital-music ecosystem, proper registration and identification of both musical works (compositions) and sound recordings is important in ensuring that the right royalty flows. For creators and right-holders in South Africa who exploit their works online, such as on YouTube / Spotify, it’s critical to understand the difference between ISRC and ISWC to avoid revenue leakage or mis-allocation.
what does this case really mean for South African creators? Below is a detailed look at the legal principles, the limits of Mda’s win, and what local creatives should do moving forward.
Law News: September 2025 Walking the streets of London, Paris, and Rome, I’ve often found myself pausing in unexpected alleyways, staring at the walls rather than the landmarks. During my travels, I made it a quiet mission to follow the art of Banksy and other street artists like Jef Aérosol (the French stencil pioneer, famous …
Read more “When Art Meets the Law: Banksy, Erasure, and the South African Context”
If you’re a music creator in South Africa, you’ve probably poured countless hours into your songs — tweaking beats at 2 AM, perfecting that bass drop, and riding the creative highs (and coffee lows) until your track is ready for the world. You upload it, the streams roll in, and then… someone claims they made …
Read more “The South African Music Creator’s Guide to Protecting Your Tracks in the Age of AI”
“The thin line between entertainment and war / The frontline is everywhere, there’ll be no shelter here.”— Rage Against the Machine, “No Shelter” This track by the amazing band Rage Against the Machine critiques the commodification of culture and the exploitation of art for profit, while expressing resistance to corporate control. It reflects the tension …
Read more “How to Monetise YouTube: Copyrighted Music and Legal Guidelines”
“I’m a bridge between tech and fashion. While I may not be ‘real,’ the conversations I start about identity, technology, and creativity are very real.” – Miquela Sousa (Virtual Influencer) Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries across the globe, and the film industry is no exception. From generating digital characters to automating scriptwriting and streamlining …
Bail is a legal process that allows an accused person to be released from custody while awaiting trial. In South Africa, the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 (as amended) provides for three types of bail applications: police bail, prosecutorial bail, and court bail. Police Bail is a type of bail granted by a police …
Going to your nearest police station can be daunting as we know citizens don’t always get the red carpet rolled out for them and sometimes situations are difficult to explain and even trickier to understand. To make the process go as quick as possible, we thought we would give you an idea of what to …
The Constitutional Court has put an end to the appeal of interim orders. The Supreme Court of Appeal has delivered an important judgment for spouses who have not timeously enforced maintenance orders after their divorce. According to the judgment, written by Acting Justice John Smith, a maintenance order is a “judgment debt” in terms of the …
Copyright explained. A copyright is an exclusive right granted by law for a limited period to an author, designer, etc. for his/her original work. Unlike other forms of intellectual property, copyright does not need to be registered, except for cinematograph films. What type of content enjoys copyright protection? The Copyright Act protects certain classes or categories of …