The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has opposed the government’s plan to impose a 10-year prison term and a shs50 million fine for copyright infringement.
Instead, the commission has recommended reducing the penalty to a custodial sentence of five years and a fine of shs 20 million.
The recommendation was presented by Abudu Sallam Waiswa, Head of Litigation, Prosecution & Legal Advisory at UCC, during his appearance before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, where the commission shared its views on the Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
“We note the circumstance under which that proposal could have been made. The creatives have for long cried that people are indeed breaching their rights without clear remedies,” Waiswa said.
He explained that while the intention behind the high penalties is understandable, they are disproportionately harsh.
“We feel that 2,500 currency points is a little bit high, that is about shs 50 million. We feel that we could balance the interests of both parties and maybe reduce this to 1,000 currency points (shs20 million) and maybe custodial sentence of not more than five years as opposed to the 10 years that are currently captured in the bill,” he added.
Waiswa emphasized that the commission’s goal is to create a fair framework that protects the rights of creators while ensuring penalties are reasonable.
“The idea is to safeguard the interests of both the creatives and the public, striking a balance that encourages compliance without being excessively punitive,” he said.
The committee is now reviewing the UCC’s recommendations as part of ongoing discussions on the amendment bill, which seeks to strengthen copyright protection in Uganda.
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