Uganda to ratify global treaties on intellectual property

Uganda is considering ratifying global treaties that concern intellectual property to keep pace with the evolving nature of technology.

This was revealed by the deputy attorney general Mwesigwa Rukutana who said that Uganda will put pen to paper on the Marrakesh Treaty that is intended to protect copyright in the evolving digital economy.

Rukutana said the treaty aims at protecting ICT innovators since internet has currently eliminated the physical boundaries such that copyright protection and exploitation is no longer bound by national borders.

"These treaties provide an opportunity for the promotion of the copyright-based industry in Uganda by facilitating authors and related rights holders such as performers in exploiting their works in the digital domain," he said.

Rukutana explained that the digital world had made it easy to share and access information.

But this is posing serious threats to the copyright protection, leaving owners of innovative and creative works vulnerable to copyright infringement.

It is against this background that government has considered ratifying these treaties.

Jane Okot the deputy register general at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau said such treaties create diverse opportunities for digital service platforms, content applications and transmission standards.

“By ratifying these treaties, most of these challenges in the digital space will be addressed within our national copyright laws so that we adapt to the sweeping tide of technology advancement," Okot said.

The Uganda Registration Service Bureau together with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) are now holding consultative meetings to see how they can benefit from intellectual properties.