What Amended Uganda Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act Means for Musicians and Creators

Uganda’s Parliament has recently tabled amendments to the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act, ushering in significant updates aimed at strengthening the rights of creators, especially musicians and digital content creators. This is a major step forward in recognizing the economic and moral rights of artists in today’s digital economy. The updated law enhances protections for original and derivative works, affirms perpetual moral rights for creators, and expands the scope of economic rights to include digital distribution and streaming.

Musicians now have clearer and broader exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, broadcast, and stream their music across all platforms including the internet. This aligns the law with modern trends in music consumption, giving artists the legal foundation to earn from platforms such as Mdundo, YouTube, and Spotify. Furthermore, artists can authorize or deny derivative works based on their songs, safeguarding remixes or samples of their original recordings.

The amendment also places emphasis on moral rights, which are now enforceable in perpetuity, even after economic rights expire. Musicians and creators retain the right to be acknowledged as the author of their work and to object to any distortion or misuse of it. This means a song cannot be modified, repurposed, or used commercially without proper credit and without maintaining the integrity of the original piece. It’s a significant move that ensures long-term respect for the creator’s identity and vision.

Clarification of ownership in commissioned or employed work. If a musician or content creator produces music under a contract of employment or on commission, say for a brand or government project—the rights belong to the employer unless stated otherwise in writing. However, the creator still retains their moral rights. For independent artists, this highlights the importance of having written agreements when collaborating or producing music for others. The Act introduces guidelines for fair use, license transfers, and royalties elements that will empower creators to better manage and monetize their work. Fine artists and musicians also benefit from inalienable resale rights, ensuring they earn a share from every subsequent sale of their work. With this progressive legal update, Uganda is taking strong strides towards a more equitable creative economy, where music artists and content creators have the tools and protection to grow their careers and control their art.

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