Kenya Copyright Board

The Kenya Copyright Board is comprised of 17 members drawn from both the public and private sectors. From the Private sector, there are seven members representing the software, producers of sound recordings, publishers, film distributors, performers, broadcasting stations and audio visual industry. There are four experts on copyright and related rights and five representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, Commissioner of Police, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Gender, Sports and Culture, and the Ministry of Finance and an Executive Director.

History Of the Kenya Copyright Board

The Kenya Copyright Board was created as a statutory body by the Copyright Act No. 12 of 2001. The first Board was appointed in May 2001. Under the Act, the Board takes over the functions of what was known as the copyright section within the Department of the Registrar General, Office of the Attorney General.

Functions

The Board is mandated to administer and enforce copyright and related rights in Kenya . The Board may thus;

Direct, co ordinate and oversee the implementation of laws, international treaties to which Kenya is party to.

• Licence and supervise the activities of Collective Management Organisations
• Devise and carry out training and sensitisation programs on copyright and related rights in Kenya
• Update copyright legislation
• Maintain an effective database on copyright and related rights in Kenya .

Registration

Requirements

Original musical, literary, artistic, audio visual works sound recordings and broadcasts shall be eligible for copyright protection.

Procedure for Registration of Copyright Works

To be accepted for registration, a work must be original and must be expressed in writing or any other form. Originality in the Copyright sense means that the work must not have copied from somebody else.

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