Swangz Avenue co-founder Julius Kyazze has criticised artistes who celebrated Uganda’s Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Amendment Act, arguing that some failed to understand the potential consequences of the changes.
Kyazze said the excitement surrounding the law’s passage was misplaced because Uganda already had copyright legislation, and he believes the bigger challenge has been its enforcement.
“The noise was too much, people celebrating the wrong thing, but you couldn’t even come and say anything about it, otherwise people would think you’re hating,” he said.
He acknowledged that the existing law needed updating to reflect changes in the industry but argued that introducing amendments would achieve little if the relevant authorities failed to enforce them.
“We had the copyright law, there were things that needed to be modified. Like any law, after a long time, things change, so it needed to be updated. So there was a copyright law already, but it wasn’t enforced, and even the new one we have isn’t enforced,” he said.
One provision that concerns Kyazze is the new rule on the reversion of copyright to authors. Under Section 13A of the 2026 amendment, assignments, licences or transfers of economic rights are generally limited to 20 years, subject to the contract and the conditions set out in the law, after which the rights revert to the author. <escape>(Uganda Legal Information Institute)</escape>
Kyazze warned that the provision could make music investment less attractive to people who finance recording, promotion and commercialisation, particularly where they face uncertainty about recovering their costs.
“One thing they didn’t realise is that that amendment alone makes their business unattractive. Why would I invest in a business where I know the risk of me not recouping is higher? There are other options. People will go and invest in farming,” he said.
He maintains that effective enforcement is essential for copyright protections to benefit artistes and other rights holders, arguing that changes to the law alone cannot resolve the music industry’s challenges.
His comments highlight the debate over how Uganda can protect creators’ rights while also maintaining incentives for investors who finance music production and promotion.
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