The Parliament of Uganda has directed the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Hon. Chris Baryomunsi, to introduce amendments to the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act by May 2024. The proposed amendments relate to Caller Ring Back Tones (CRBTs) charges by telecommunications companies.
CRBTs are customizable ringtones heard by the caller while waiting for the recipient to answer. They can include songs, audio clips, or other content. Telecoms in Uganda offer CRBTs as a paid subscription service to customers. However, Parliament noted that despite charging subscribers for the service, telecoms pay very little revenue to the artists and creators of the CRBT content.
To address this, the Copyright Amendment Bill will likely include reforms to the rules and revenue sharing for CRBTs. The goal is to ensure artists receive fairer compensation when their work is used as a CRBT.
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