Stay Updated with the Latest in Entertainment!
Welcome to your ultimate destination for the freshest updates in music, videos, lyrics, mixtapes, and exclusive entertainment content from across Africa and beyond. We bring you the hottest trends, breaking news, and in-depth stories straight from the heart of the entertainment industry.
Whether you're a fan of Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, Amapiano, Dancehall, or any other genre, we've got you covered with the best releases, celebrity highlights, and behind-the-scenes exclusives. Stay tuned, explore, and enjoy the best of African entertainment.
The High Court has upheld the Copyright Tribunal's decision to set aside the Kenya Copyright Board's (KECOBO) decision to grant an operating license to the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK).
The Tribunal overturned KECOBO's decision to grant an operating license only to PAVRISK, the sole Collective Management Organizations authorized to collect royalties on behalf of musicians and producers. The decision by KECOBO locked out the other two CMOs, Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) and Music Cpyright Society of Kenya (MCSK). Aggrieved, KAMP filed a case at the Copyright Tribunal challenging KECOBO's decision.
KECOBO and PAVRISK then sought to challenge the Copyright Tribunal's revocation, citing serious financial and industry-wide repercussions.
KECOBO argued for a stay pending the High Court's decision on the appeal. However, the court ruled that the board had failed to show that denying the stay would render the appeal futile or cause significant harm.
As a result, Lady Justice Thripsisa Cherere upheld the Tribunal's decision pending the determination of the appeal before her.
The judge noted that as much as KECOBO claims to be acting in the public interest, the broader public good would be better served by the lawful and orderly collection of royalties and their distribution to intellectual property rights holders.
"To stay an order that seeks to operationalize such collection, particularly following the Court's findings, would be to frustrate a process that promotes fairness, regulatory certainty, and economic justice. Claims of public interest cannot justify unlawful conduct or disobedience of court orders, and courts must remain vigilant against attempts to cloak institutional defiance in the guise of the public good," she said. The judge said in her ruling.
PAVRISK had strongly opposed the court's decision, arguing that the revocation left rights holders without a formal mechanism for collecting royalties, exposing them to significant financial losses.
Last year, KECOBO chairman Joshua Kutuny defended the board's decision to grant only one CMO an operating license, saying that granting only PAVRISK was informed by the ongoing disputes among the three CMOs over royalty collection and distribution.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions expressed in this post belong solely to the original author. This content is sourced from external materials, and appropriate credit is given to the original source.
If you would like us to remove this content, please contact us immediately. This material is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not responsible for any damages resulting from its use.
