Kenya moves copyright royalty collection to eCitizen platform

The move follows the signing of a Service Level Agreement between the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) and the relevant government directorate, paving the way for copyright royalty collection through the platform.

PAVRISK chief executive officer Joseph K. Njagih said the digital system was expected to improve transparency, reduce revenue leakages and streamline the collection and distribution of royalties to rights holders.

The initiative follows a presidential directive requiring the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO), the country’s copyright regulator, to digitise the collection and distribution of royalties through eCitizen.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Principal Secretaries Dr Belio Kipsang of the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services and Fikirini Jacobs of the State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy.

KECOBO chairman Joshua Kutuny, acting executive director George Nyakweba and PAVRISK chairman Edwardo Waigwa also witnessed the signing.

The new system is expected to support a requirement that at least 70% of royalties collected be distributed directly to rights holders.

PAVRISK is currently the only licensed collective management organisation (CMO) authorised to collect royalties from users of music and audiovisual works in Kenya, following regulatory action against other CMOs.

KECOBO recently suspended the operating licence of KAMP Copyright and Related Rights Limited (KAMP) for three months, citing alleged violations of the Copyright Act, financial mismanagement, governance failures and non-compliance with regulatory directives.

Following the suspension, KECOBO authorised PAVRISK to collect royalties on behalf of rights holders ordinarily represented by KAMP in sectors previously allocated to the organisation under the applicable licensing framework.

The regulator has also declined to renew the licence of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), preventing it from collecting and distributing copyright royalties after it failed to meet licensing conditions and requirements under the Copyright Act 2001 and Copyright (Collective Management) Regulations 2020.

Njagih said users of music and audiovisual works would now be able to obtain a Unified Copyright Licence (UCL) through eCitizen from anywhere in the country.

“There will be no more excuses why users of music and audio-visual works will fail to comply with the regulations governing the collection of royalties by not obtaining Unified Copyright Licences (UCL) from PAVRISK since licensing has been made simple through eCitizen platform,” Njagih said.

He added that PAVRISK licensing personnel, working with KECOBO, eCitizen and the National Police Service, would conduct regular inspections of businesses that use music and audiovisual works to monitor compliance with copyright regulations.

The digitisation of the royalty system comes amid ongoing efforts by Kenyan authorities to reform the country's collective management framework and address concerns over transparency, governance and the distribution of royalties to creators.