Report of proceedings: Data Science Meets Music Law Exhibition 2025

This report documents the proceedings of the 2025 World IP Day Exhibition held at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Law on 29 April 2025 to showcase our “Data Science Meets Music Law,” project - interdisciplinary research by postgraduate students enrolled in the IGZ 804 module (Intellectual Property: Creative Industries and Expression of Ideas) in collaboration with MIT 808 (Big Data Capstone Project). The students analysed parliamentary submissions on the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill, conducted interviews with music industry professionals, and co-developed a legal taxonomy of key copyright concepts. This taxonomy is now being used to build a digital tool designed to help South African music creators navigate copyright law and make informed business decisions. The report includes summaries of student presentations, a consolidated section of judges’ feedback, and an editorial reflection on the implications of the work for legal education, policy development, and the use of data science in the creative industries. This project highlights the potential of transdisciplinary collaboration to address real-world challenges in law, technology, and the arts, with a focus on empowering creators through accessible legal knowledge and evidence-based reform. Reach out to us if you want to work with us.