Hi there!

Copyright question incoming. I’ve searched extensively online and haven’t found anything South African related to this question.

-> What is the law around creating drawings/artworks of famous or infamous South African people? (Individuals known in the media- from politicians to criminals)

I know in some states in the US, there is a fair dealing provision when it comes to social commentary but I’m uncertain how it works here.

To clarify:

These drawings would be generating an income - as they would be part of a book.These drawings would be made/inspired from stills of video footage and/or still images. So basically an outline of the person and their features inspired by the images or video seen.

My questions:

-Is this allowed? What is the copyright law surrounding using the ‘likeness’ of an individual for a work of art?

-When still images are used as inspiration, would permission from the original photographer still be needed? And is payment usually required too?

And last question, if I cannot find the original photographer; what happens then?

I just want to ensure everything is above board before proceeding.

Your time and assistance is much appreciated!

Hi there,

I see that you haven't made a payment for the question, but I'm going to assist you a little. If you want to ask a follow-up question, please make the required payment, even if it is R150 or R200.

I'm happy to assist with your legal question ... and I know a lot about IP law ... but I need you to make a deposit so I can assist you further.

Att. Patrick 

Please remember this is a dialog if you have follow-up questions please make the required deposit, then use the REPLY button and ask your further question. I would like to continue assisting you, but I need to concentrate on people who make deposits for their questions - they get serviced first!