Publishers’ association of south africa

THE PROFILE OF THE INDUSTRY SECTOR

The Print Industries Cluster Council (PICC)

The PICC brings together a number of industries in the sector. Members of the PICC are:

• 
  The Print Federation of South Africa (PIFSA)
  

• 
  The Paper Manufacturers' Association of South Africa (PAMSA)
  

• 
  The Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA)
  

• 
  The South African Booksellers' Association (SABA)
  

A Strategic Industry Sector

As the PICC describes itself, the print industries are a strategic industry sector, with an importance to the economy and the development of the country well beyond their size. They:

• 
  Originate, package and disseminate ideas and information through the print and electronic media;
  

• 
  Are critical to politics, education, culture, entertainment, nation-building, trade and economic growth;
  

• 
  Are the most effective means of education and communication;
  

• 
  Are as central to the knowledge economy as they are to the industrial economy;
  

• 
  Are essential to empowerment and social development;
  

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  Are economically self-sufficient, employing tens of thousands of skilled and unskilled workers; and
  

• 
  Are world class and by far the largest in Africa.⁴
  

Working towards the transformation and growth of the print industries, therefore, is not only a matter of economic growth and job creation within the sector, but of an increase in locally relevant products that are a vital underpinning for the growth and development of the country as a whole.

As these are industries that either produce or contribute to the production of copyright products, their survival and growth depends on the existence of a strong copyright regime. If the print industries sector is to effectively supply the cultural, educational and knowledge needs of the country this can only happen within an environment in which the rights of the creators of print products are respected and protected.
All the members of the PICC suffer real damage – including loss of turnover, reduced profitability and diminution in employment capacity – from copyright infringement through high levels of unauthorised reproduction. Of all the PICC members the greatest damage is caused to the book industry. The ramifications of losses due to excessive copying, however, reach much further than economic prejudice. In the print industries, low prices result from high sales volumes. Copyright infringement threatens the sector’s capacity to provide cultural, educational and knowledge products at affordable prices, for South Africa’s development.