Copyright: Joint Ownership And Databases

A South African judgment dealing with joint ownership of copyright in databases has recently come to light. The judgment was handed down almost a year ago, but it seems to have slipped under the radar. This judgment will, however, be of interest to those involved in IP.

The case is The Philanthropic Collection (Pty) Ltd v Girls & Boys South Africa. The applicant (the "organiser") in this case organises a charitable event that takes the form of a sleep-out – business leaders are asked for donations and they're requested to sleep outdoors on a winter's evening in order to get a better understanding of the plight of the homeless. The first sleep-out happened in 2015 and the proceeds went to the respondent (the "charity").