Editorial

Abstract

In this issue, we have revived a tradition which I was reminded of when looking through some of Communicare’s past issues, dating back to the 1980s, now uploaded to the open-access site. In the early days, Communicare’s very lively 'Last Word' slot invited critical comments on contemporary matters of concern, but for the most part, the journal took a hands-off position and followed conventional publishing practice.
 Communicare was repositioned in 2016 by encouraging debate in addition to case studies and inviting comprehensive interventions addressing current questions. The editors now want to actively engage in debates as they might affect new knowledge, state policy and developmental planning.
 This issue thus inserts itself into the long-running controversy over the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) that is predicted by three authors in this number to potentially damage the South African educational book publishing industry. The Bill aims to weaken protections as far as educational materials are concerned. While the Bill is expected to pass into law in 2023, the lead author in this number, Keyan Tomaselli, has sketched the likely implications of the proposed legislation for the national South African research economy and for academic authors also.