The brutal attack on Lusanda Mcinga of the Lusanda Spiritual Group continues to prompt responses from related organisations. RISA has issued this statement to Members detailing policy and procedure for dealing with piracy:

 

The media recently reported on the attack on Lusanda Mcinga from Lusanda Spiritual Group, when she confronted a Willowvale shop owner that stocked counterfeit copies of her latest CD/DVD’S. After RiSA received a report of this incident from Ms. Mcinga’s record company, the relevant shop was attended on by the Willowvale SAPS through the swift intervention of the RiSA Anti-Piracy Enforcement Unit (APEU). Shortly thereafter, three adult males were arrested and charged with assault, contravention of the Copyright Act and contravention of the Immigration Act. The police attached all infringing recordings and blank sound carriers at the shop. The accused are currently in custody.

RiSA is currently engaged with the DTI, SARS, SAPS, Customs and Justice in seeking legislative and strategic interventions to combat piracy. In this regard, RiSA has submitted detailed proposals to DTI after submitting them first to the Minister of Arts and Culture. Up to date, no substantive response has been forthcoming from the Department of Arts and Culture. The proposal is, in essence, a framework to increase the allocation of resources to fighting piracy through a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary team that includes all relevant government agencies and rights owner organizations.

RiSA has in the past advised its members that the involvement of artists in the fight against piracy should be limited to lobbying and the gathering of information to pass on to RiSA APEU, so that the APEU can assist state enforcement agencies in the South African Police Service and Department of Trade and Industry to take steps against infringers of copyright. This is still the case. The RiSA Executive is on record as understanding the frustration experienced by artists in the face of high piracy levels. What happened to Ms. Mcinga serves as an unfortunate example of the risk that artists, or members of the public in general, expose themselves to when they confront criminals. It is exactly for this reason that RiSA strongly advises its members to inform their artists of the structures that exist within RiSA to deal with piracy i.e. the RiSA APEU. The APEU reports to the RiSA Executive Committee through the RiSA Anti-Piracy Sub-Committee. Should any artist receive a report of piracy or wish to submit such a report, it should be submitted to the relevant RiSA record company. It is then up to such RiSA member to submit any such information to the RiSA APEU. The sequence is as follows:

ARTIST -> RISA MEMBER -> RISA -> ENFORCEMENT AGENCY -> PIRATE

Any questions by RiSA members about the RiSA APEU should be addressed to the Chairman of the RiSA Anti-Piracy Sub-Committee, Russell Crawford.

If RiSA members want to find out more about the RiSA APEU’s activities, they are free to contact the RiSA APEU at the numbers here below.

Yours sincerely

David du Plessis

RiSA Operations Director

September 19th 2007
  

Gauteng:               011 886 1342
Gauteng:               083 600 9630
Western Cape:    083 608 1556
KwaZulu-Natal:    083 608 1555
Free State:            011 886 1342
Northern Cape:   011 886 1342
Eastern Cape:    083 600 9629
Mpumalanga:    011 886 1342
Limpopo:          011 886 1342
Northwest:       011 886 1342