Kenyan DJs Must Be Licensed for Commercial Use of Copyright and Related Rights in Music

It all started with this lone tweet from your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ: #dearkenyanartists if I were you, I'd find a way to make sure that mcsk doesn't touch the djs. If they do, kenyan music will die— CodeRED Dj Stylez (@coderedstylez) November 13, 2012 Endless tweets, tweefs and radio interviews later, the air does … Continue reading »

‘One Society, One Right’? 50 Years of Collective Administration of Music Copyright in Africa: Changes at SAMRO and MCSK

Last year, a Commission under the Department of Trade and Industry in South Africa was appointed to investigate collecting societies in South Africa. The Commission’s Report was recently released and can be accessed in full here. This 223-paged report on collecting societies in South Africa made a number of key recommendations. For instance, this is … Continue reading »

Kenya Welcomes Conclusion of WIPO Beijing Treaty for Audiovisual Performers

  Yesterday, in a historic Diplomatic Conference held in the Chinese capital Beijing, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) adopted a new Treaty in the area of copyright and related rights. As WIPO explains, this Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (BTAP) will strengthen the economic rights of film actors and other performers … Continue reading »

From PRSK to PRISK: A Tale of Two Societies

It has been a landmark week for performers in Kenya, with the proposed enactment of amendments to Section 30 which deals with performers rights and essentially guarantees the continued existence of the collecting society representing performers. The Performers Rights Society of Kenya abbreviated as “PRSK” has decided to change its abbreviation to “PRISK”. The inclusion … Continue reading »

Parliament Set to Pass Important Amendments to the Kenya Copyright Act

The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2012 published in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 34 (Bills No. 17) is on the way to becoming law. A full copy is available here. This Act of Parliament purports to make minor amendments to statute law, as and when necessary for the proper functioning of various creatures of statute. … Continue reading »

The Creativez Meetup This Sunday – Let’s Talk Intellectual Property

IPKenya would highly recommend that all attend an important event dubbed “The Creativez Meet-up – Intellectual Property” taking place this Sunday 3rd June from 14h00 to 17h00. Here are just a few reasons why: 1. The calibre of speakers: Almost all the presenters are LL.M holders in Intellectual Property and have extensive experience in their … Continue reading »

Words for the Unwary: Intellectual Property and Political Parties in Kenya

Political parties in Kenya would be advised to take some lessons from recent happenings in Ghana and South Africa, relating to intellectual property (IP). With elections around the corner, there are a number of important issues that must be addressed by political parties to ensure that they do not fall foul of existing IP laws … Continue reading »

Performers’ Rights: Positive Amendments to the Kenya Copyright Act

The Business Daily reports that the Attorney General has proposed amendments to the Kenya Copyright Act 2001 (No 12 of 2001) by inserting a new clause (30A) which now gives performers the right to claim and equitably share remuneration for sound recordings and visual works among themselves. In a quote reported from the Kenya Gazette … Continue reading »

2012 for Intellectual Property in Kenya

IPKenya is back for a second year, hoping to be more informative and relevant than last year and still gunning for that coveted “Kat-approved” badge. To start things off, here is a small list of IPKenya’s twelve expectations for 2012:- 1. The Geographical Indications Bill will be signed into law. 2. The Copyright Amendment Bill … Continue reading »

Broadcast Licensing Dispute Bad News for Copyright

The Daily Nation reports that the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is adamant that come Tuesday 15th November (tomorrow), any of the 26 broadcasters that will not have applied and paid for new licenses will lose their frequencies. The various media owners under the umbrella of the Media Owners Association have rushed this afternoon to … Continue reading »