The Mawokota North MP, Hillary Kiyaga (pictured) wants organizers of wedding and other related events to pay royalties for songs played at such events.
The proposal contained in the Copyright and Neighboring Rights (Amendment) Bill of 2022 which Kiyaga aka Dr Hilderman is moving as a private member.
Last week, Kiyaga was granted leave of Parliament to introduce a bill titled, The Copyright and Neighboring Rights (Amendment) Bill of 2022.
Asked why y the politician cum musician is amending the current copyright and neighboring Rights Act, Kiyaga said the bill seeks to recognize and protect the rights of a composer of literary, artistic, scientific and intellectual works cognizant that the law as it is, assigns such rights to producers. He says the current law has a limited jurisdiction that leaves outside several sectors.
The lawmaker believes that his bill which grants due benefits to originators of works will save artistes from being cheated by telecom companies in caller tunes.
“An artist gets only 7% of the charge levied on the telecom customer when they activate caller tunes which is too little to make business sense,” he says.
Kiyaga also wants organizers of weddings and other related parties to pay royalties for songs played at the events. Kiyaga says an artiste deserves to be paid whenever their music is played anywhere.
With some aspects of the Copyright and Neighboring Act getting outdated , the legislator proposes penalties and sanctions on infringement on copyright works to fit the technological advancements. With leave granted, the lawmaker is now moving to consult all stakeholders in the music industry plus the public that consumes the music to ensure a master-piece bill is brought to the floor of the house.
