Following our earlier report on Uganda’s adoption of the amended Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Bill of 2025, further details have emerged on the scope of the reforms.

The new Bill introduces a wide range of provisions aimed at addressing several long-standing issues. For years, copyright exploitation in Uganda was largely informal. Artists often relied on verbal arrangements with producers, publishers acquired rights through loosely drafted agreements, and broadcasters and distributors often operated under contracts that lacked provisions covering ownership, royalties, duration or future exploitation rights. This became particularly problematic as older songs and audiovisual works started generating new commercial value through digital platforms.

The new Bill introduces stricter penalties for piracy, broadens creators’ rights, and regulates digital monetisation.

Key amendments include:

• Stricter penalties: Infringement incurs fines of up to 50 million UGX (approximately 13,500 USD) and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years;
• Enhanced digital protection: The Bill prohibits digital lock circumvention and provides for rapid content take-down notices;
• Caller ring back tunes (CRBTs): A mandated revenue split for mobile monetisation is introduced, ensuring fair compensation to artists and rights holders when their works are used as ring back tunes;
• Reversion rights: Copyright expires under certain conditions after 20 years, after which period the rights revert to the original author; and
• Strengthened royalty administration: Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) is mandated to regulate collecting societies and ensure authors are compensated for the commercial use of their copyright works.