Uganda's creative industry stands on the cusp of a significant transformation with the recent introduction of the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Bill 2025. This proposed legislation, tabled by the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, is designed to modernize the country's copyright framework, align it with international standards, and ensure creators receive fairer compensation for their intellectual work, particularly in the digital era.

Shadrack Kisame, Team Leader of UgaTunes, a platform that pays royalties, highlighted the critical need for this bill. During an interview on Next Big Talk, Kisame pointed out that the bill specifically targets entities like Howebiz, MP3Jaja, and DJ Erycom, which he claims have profited from Ugandan music for over two decades without paying royalties. "We at UgaTunes pay royalties. There are other players in the same space... who've been earning from Ugandan music for over two decades without paying royalties. The Copyright Bill comes in to flag such players," he asserted. Kisame sees the bill as a victory for everyone across the creative value chain, including managers, songwriters, and other stakeholders. He emphasized that while intellectual property inherently belongs to the creator, registration becomes crucial for commercialization, a stance recognized by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

Kisame further stressed the importance of organizational structures within the creative industry. He noted that successful international artists, even those who may be personally disorganized, thrive within highly structured ecosystems managed by executives. "Some of the artistes you look up to, like in Nigeria, the USA and others, are often high on weed and may never attend meetings, yet because they have an ecosystem and learned people running their organization, things work. Let's not limit the organization of the industry to just artistes," he advocated.

Minister Norbert Mao described the bill as a "game-changer" for Uganda's creative sector, encompassing musicians, filmmakers, writers, and other artists. He stated that the legislation aims to provide stronger protection for creators, streamline the sector, and introduce tougher penalties for piracy and copyright infringement. The bill directly addresses long-standing challenges, particularly the widespread unauthorized use and distribution of artistic works that have historically undermined artists' earnings.

A key reform introduced by the bill is a new revenue-sharing model for caller ringback tones, a popular telecommunication service that plays music instead of a standard ringing tone. Under this proposed structure, authors and performers are allocated 60% of the revenue, telecommunications companies receive 31%, and aggregators take 8.5%. This provision is explicitly designed to ensure artists receive a substantially larger share of earnings from the digital use of their music.

Renowned Ugandan musician Daniel Kazibwe, popularly known as Ragga Dee, echoed similar sentiments, urging upcoming artists to adopt a business mindset. Speaking on NBS Eagle, Ragga Dee highlighted the significant suffering of emerging artists due to a lack of support and emphasized the importance of strategic distribution and legal protection. "Upcoming artists have suffered so much in their music careers because of a lack of support. They should know that whatever they're doing is business. Put your song on all social media platforms, register it, and wait to earn," he advised, linking his counsel directly to the transformative potential of the new bill.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), the body responsible for intellectual property rights administration, has welcomed the proposed amendments. URSB officials anticipate that the bill will significantly strengthen Uganda's creative economy by enhancing legal protections and expanding monetization opportunities for creators, while also curbing piracy, a persistent issue that has long plagued the entertainment sector.

Industry observers interpret the bill as a clear indication of the government's increasing recognition of the creative sector's economic potential, including its vital contributions to employment, cultural expression, and innovation. If enacted, the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Bill 2025 is expected to establish a more structured and transparent system for managing intellectual property rights, fostering a healthier environment for creativity and encouraging further investment in Uganda's cultural and creative industries. This move responds to long-standing advocacy from artists and stakeholders for stronger legal protections and fair compensation, especially as digital platforms continue to reshape content creation, distribution, and consumption.