Uganda’s Collective Management Organisations have renewed calls for the reinstatement of copyright inspectors, nearly six years after their withdrawal, arguing that weak enforcement continues to deny artists, filmmakers and publishers their rightful earnings.
The organisations, including the Uganda Performing Right Society, the Uganda Federation of Movie Industry and the Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation, say the absence of inspectors since 2019 has created a major enforcement vacuum across the music, film and publishing sectors.
Copyright inspectors were withdrawn after the Uganda Registration Services Bureau ruled that their mandate had been abused.
At the time, inspectors were empowered to enter premises suspected of copyright infringement, inspect operations and confiscate pirated materials or equipment, including gaming consoles and illegal content systems.
While the inspection regime initially improved compliance, industry stakeholders say enforcement gradually weakened as inspections became inconsistent and selective, eventually leading to widespread non-compliance.
Leaders within the creative industry argue that without inspectors, copyright enforcement has significantly deteriorated.
Licensing officers, they say, are overstretched and lack the legal authority needed to compel users to meet their copyright obligations.
Following formal engagements initiated by the CMOs, URSB acknowledged the existence of enforcement gaps but maintained that the previous inspection framework had been misused.
In response, the regulator issued draft inspection guidelines on December 22 and invited stakeholders to submit views aimed at establishing a more accountable system.
Because the guidelines affect all collective management organisations, the bodies convened a joint consultative workshop to develop a unified position on enforcement and compliance.
Each organisation sent six delegates, including board members, licensing officers and technical staff. Legal practitioners and industry consultants were also involved to address concerns around due process and litigation risks.
“This was a joint consultation among all collective management organisations, and it was necessary,” said Uganda Performing Right Society chairperson Martin Yoyo during a briefing on the workshop.
He said any new inspection framework must restore confidence while guarding against the excesses that undermined the previous system.
Uganda Federation of Movie Industry chief executive officer Robert Womai welcomed the unified approach, saying it reflected a shared commitment to protecting creators’ rights across different sectors of the creative industry.
The urgency of reform was underscored by enforcement experiences shared during the discussions.
Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation executive director Charles Batambuze cited persistent challenges in primary markets such as schools and bookshops, where publishers often record high sales volumes while rights holders receive minimal returns.
Batambuze recalled earlier anti-piracy operations carried out by URRO, which led to the confiscation of infringing books valued at more than Shs1.8 billion.
In one instance, he said, a publisher reportedly made sales of nearly Shs 200 million in a single week, highlighting the scale of losses suffered by creators.
Discussions at the workshop were at times tense, with inspectors sharing field experiences while lawyers emphasised strict adherence to due process, proper evidence handling and reduced exposure to litigation.
Participants agreed on the need to balance effective enforcement with maintaining trust among users of copyrighted works.
Among the principles agreed upon were the need for clear and limited mandates for inspectors, separation of licensing disputes from infringement enforcement, stronger rules on seizure and evidence management, and procedures capable of withstanding court scrutiny.
“Copyright enforcement should not be about intimidation, but about lawful authority, transparent processes and predictable outcomes that serve both creators and users,” participants said.
While welcoming the draft guidelines as a step forward, stakeholders urged URSB to incorporate practical field realities and legal safeguards before finalising them, saying a well-designed framework could restore effective enforcement and improve royalty collection across Uganda’s creative industries.
