Parliamentr yesterday passed the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in a move aimed at strengthening protection for musicians, artists and other creatives.
Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka told the House that the law responds to emerging challenges, including the growing use of artificial intelligence to generate content based on creators’ work.
MP Racheal Magoola welcomed the development, describing it as a major breakthrough for the creative sector.
“We are extremely excited about the great victory of passing this bill into law because now our musicians will earn from their craft unlike before,” she said.
The chairperson of the parliamentary committee on legal and parliamentary affairs, Bakka Mugabi, told the House that the bill had undergone thorough scrutiny and was ready for enactment.
MP Joseph Gonzaga Ssewungu said rapid technological change and the rise of social media had made it difficult for artists to benefit from their work, adding that the new law would help them secure fair earnings.
Under the new law, broadcasters including radio and television stations will be required to pay artists before using their content.
Lawmakers said the amendments will align Uganda’s copyright framework with international instruments such as the Berne Convention and treaties under the World Intellectual Property Organization.
The law introduces stricter safeguards for authors and performers, strengthens enforcement against copyright infringement, and provides clearer rules on the management of orphan works.
It also streamlines the registration of collecting societies.
New provisions on digital rights management are expected to curb unauthorised reproduction and distribution of creative works.
Promoters of the bill say the reforms are designed to support the growth of Uganda’s creative economy and ensure artists are fairly compensated in a rapidly evolving digital environment.
Several prominent artists, including Jose Chameleone, Pallaso, Nina Roz, Gravity Omutujju, Raggae Dee, Eddy Kenzo, Sheebah Karungi, Joanita Kawalya and Rema Namakula, followed proceedings from the public gallery.
