Editor's Review

  • Hollywood wants the government to punish Kenyans in the movie piracy business.
  • A letter signed by top Hollywood studios is demanding tougher laws to curb the vice in Kenya.

Kenya has been asked by the United States to introduce tougher copyright laws over the raging piracy in the entertainment industry.

Netflix, Walt Disney Studios, Universal City Studios and Warner Brothers, asked Kenya to overhaul copyright legislation by introducing tougher penalties.

A letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, signed by more than 3,200 companies want Kenya’s commitment before the bilateral trade deal between the two countries is signed.

Letter

Here's what the letter stated;

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“Kenya's copyright legal and enforcement frameworks remain deficient, and piracy, particularly online, remains a significant barrier for the creative industries in Kenya,” said IIPA, in a letter to the US Congress. The lobby wants the overhaul of copyright laws to be made a condition for Kenya in the ongoing trade negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that are expected to form a model for similar US bilateral deals with other African countries.

“These negotiations should be a catalyst for the government of Kenya to take the necessary steps to modernise Kenya’s copyright legal and enforcement regimes and improve its marketplace for legitimate digital trade in copyright-protected materials,” said the lobby in the letter.

“IIPA is hopeful that the US-Kenya negotiations will both build on the positive achievements of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and depart from certain provisions that are problematic.

“Comprehensive obligations for copyright enforcement, including criminal penalties, civil remedies, border enforcement measures, anti-camcording enforcement, presumption of ownership, enforcement measures to address online infringement that include secondary liability principles to provide legal incentives for cooperation between service providers and rights holders and liability for aiding and abetting infringing activities."