Editorial
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has given a green light to the operationalization of the copyright management system, a program aimed at strengthening the intellectual property rights and providing better protection for the creatives in the country.
The integrated copyright management system will help the creatives register their works, monitor their use, and, where possible, receive payments for the use of their works.
According to Dr. Joel Isabirye, the principal development economist at State House, a musician will register their works, like a song, and then different places that have been licensed to play that music will be monitored by the system.
At the end of a certain period, like a month or a year, the musician will collect money that has been paid by that particular business to use this music.
To enforce the law, each bar in Uganda will be required to have a chip or machine installed in their place of entertainment, and the owner must accept for him to be granted a license by the ministry of local government to continue doing business.
The chip will be regularly inspected to ensure its working, and if anyone attempts to remove it, a signal will reflect on the system.
For instance, if Shs. 1 million is paid by a bar, radio, or television station as a license fee to play local music, every artist will earn a percentage of that 1 million according to how many times his or her song has been played.
