Artists must lead Uganda’s copyright management revolution
More importantly, copyright should not only benefit an artist during the peak of their career.
Martin Muhumuza. (Courtesy)
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OPINION
By Martin Muhumuza
Uganda’s creative industry is entering an important new phase in the management, protection, and commercialisation of intellectual property. The operationalisation of the Copyright Management System (CMS) presents an opportunity to build a more transparent, accountable and technology-driven copyright ecosystem that works for creators, collective management organisations (CMOs), and users of creative works.
At the centre of this process must be the artists and other creatives themselves. The success of the CMS ultimately depends on creators understanding their rights, properly documenting their works and actively participating in systems designed to protect and commercialise their intellectual property.
A critical component of this process is the Uganda Performing Right Society (UPRS) and other CMOs. The CMS is being developed as a technology tool to support UPRS and other CMOs in easing the administration of copyright and the related rights, while strengthening transparency, accountability and efficiency in the management of royalties.
The system can support the registration and documentation of works, monitoring of usage, licensing, royalty tracking and distribution.
This is not about replacing CMOs. Rather, it is about equipping UPRS and other CMOs with better technological tools to perform their mandate more effectively and to give rights holders greater confidence in the management of their works and royalties.
For the CMS to achieve its full potential, it must operate within a broader ecosystem of institutions. The ongoing partnership with the State House Science and Technology team is therefore particularly important in bringing technology, innovation and government systems together.
There is also an opportunity for deeper integration with institutions including Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Ministry of Local Government, Uganda Police Force, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and other relevant government agencies.
Such integration can strengthen identification of rights holders, registration and verification of creative works and businesses, licensing and compliance, enforcement of copyright, revenue and taxation systems, and the availability of reliable data across the creative ecosystem.
The objective should be to move towards a connected copyright ecosystem, where information can be verified, rights can be managed efficiently, infringement can be addressed more effectively and creators can have greater visibility over the commercial use of their works.
The engagements are aimed at helping musicians and other creatives understand the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Act, 2026, their rights, ownership of creative works and the opportunities emerging within Uganda’s evolving copyright ecosystem.
The workshops have also provided a platform for musicians to ask questions, share experiences and raise concerns around copyright registration, licensing, management of creative works and the use of technology in the industry.
The conversations in sub-regions demonstrate that musicians are ready to engage with systems that can improve the way their works are protected and monetised.
For many years, artists have expressed concerns about benefiting fairly from their creative works. A properly implemented and transparent copyright management system can help address some of these challenges by improving the documentation and monitoring of music usage and strengthening royalty administration.
More importantly, copyright should not only benefit an artist during the peak of their career. A song can continue generating value long after its creator has stopped performing on stage. Proper copyright management can therefore contribute to long-term financial security and a lasting legacy for creators and their families. The source article similarly highlights the importance of artists continuing to benefit from works that remain in use even when they can no longer actively perform.
That is why creators must embrace the CMS. Their participation is essential to ensuring that the system effectively supports the registration, management, protection and commercialisation of creative works.
The writer is the director of research and development at Uganda National Musicians Federation