Artistes are pushing the government to carry out more awareness campaigns about copyright laws to address the mess in the industry.

The artists hope that that the move would boost their careers and contribute to social and economic transformation.

Despite the law on intellectual property rights having come into force nearly five years ago, artistes in different disciplines claim there is a lot of piracy in the industry.
This, they claim, is coupled with sabotage and rampant breach of contracts by different companies.

Recently, Cecile Kayirebwa, a local singer based in Belgium accused some media houses of playing her music “for years” without her permission and failing to pay her royalties.

Some artistes said that due to financial constraints they are reluctant to sue big companies that breach contracts or are involved in copyrights violation.

According to Austin Tosh Luwano (aka Uncle Austin), a Rwanda-based afro beat singer, there is a need to raise awareness among industry players and stakeholders to bridge the knowledge gap.

“Some companies, breach artists contracts in different ways, with some left with no choice but to remain silent, when actually such laws would be useful,” he said.

In a seminar organised by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, artists and government officials agreed to enforce copyright and related rights in a bid to advance intellectual Property (IP) rights.

One of the ways to bring this into force is to administer a legal body of authors as stipulated by the law, a company of collective management of copyrights and related rights.

According to World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) industrial property applies to inventions, innovations or utility models, product or service marks, industrial designs, trade names and geographical indications; while copyright is an exclusive right that is granted to the rights holder to authorise or prohibit others to use the works.

Legal framework

A patent on the other hand refers to exclusive rights to an invention, a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to problem.

According to Emmanuel Hategeka, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Rwanda’s Intellectual Property legal framework is a modern and forward looking one meant to encourage innovation and creativity while safeguarding the intellectual property rights of authors.

READ: Rwanda to join regional intellectual property body

“Promotion of artworks is fine, but this should benefit owners of artworks in a more concrete way, taking your song to radio is not a problem, but when it goes viral and the artist himself does not benefit that is a problem, the association of authors here should intervene to enforce the benefits for all,” he said.

Epaphrodite Binamungu, the president of Rwanda Society of Authors, said the just created association will seek to use force to bring more artists on board and work collaboratively to serve the interests of many and protect their artworks.

“We are now calling upon artists to register with us, and enforce our mandate, we believe artists will benefit more from the initiative and it will be very clear now, how artists and art consumers will all benefit,” he said.

In September 2011, Rwanda became the latest African country to join the African ARIPO in order to reap benefits of enforcement of the copyright and related rights.