Government moves copyright royalties to eCitizen platform

The Government has officially migrated the collection and distribution of copyright royalties to the eCitizen platform and appointed the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) to collect royalties through the digital system in a bid to improve transparency and boost artists earnings.

The transition was formalised following the signing of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between PAVRISK and the Directorate of eCitizen, implementing a presidential directive requiring the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) to digitise royalty collection and distribution through the government's online services platform.

PAVRISK Chief Executive Officer Joseph Njagih expressed optimism that the new system will seal revenue leakages, enhance accountability and streamline the collection and distribution of royalties to copyright holders.

"This is a major milestone for Kenya's creative industry. The new platform will ensure transparency, reduce revenue leakages, streamline collections and facilitate more efficient distribution of royalties to copyright holders," Njagih said.

The signing ceremony was presided over by State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang and his counterpart of the State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Fikirini Jacobs.

Also present were KECOBO Chairman Joshua Kutuny, Acting Executive Director George Nyakweba and PAVRISK Chairman Edwardo Waigwa.

Government officials said the digitisation of royalty management is expected to strengthen accountability in the sector while guaranteeing compliance with the legal requirement that at least 70 per cent of royalties collected are remitted directly to rights holders.

PAVRISK remains the only licensed Collective Management Organisation (CMO) authorised to collect royalties from users of music and audio-visual works after KECOBO suspended or declined to renew the licences of other collecting societies.

Three weeks ago, KECOBO suspended the operating licence of KAMP Copyright and Related Rights Limited (KAMP) for three months, citing violations of the Copyright Act, financial mismanagement, governance failures and non-compliance with regulatory directives.

During the suspension period, PAVRISK was mandated to collect royalties on behalf of rights holders previously represented by KAMP.

The regulator also declined to renew the licence of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), effectively barring it from collecting and distributing royalties after determining that it had failed to meet licensing requirements under the Copyright Act, 2001 and the Copyright (Collective Management) Regulations, 2020.

Under the new arrangement, businesses and other users of music and audio-visual works will obtain the Unified Copyright Licence (UCL) through the eCitizen platform by accessing the PAVRISK portal online.

Njagih said the simplified digital licensing process removes barriers to compliance for businesses that use copyrighted content.

"There will be no more excuses for users of music and audio-visual works to fail to comply with the regulations governing royalty collection. Obtaining a Unified Copyright Licence through the eCitizen platform has been made simple and accessible nationwide," he said.

He announced that PAVRISK, working alongside KECOBO, the eCitizen Directorate and the National Police Service, will intensify nationwide inspection of businesses to ensure compliance with copyright licensing requirements.

The government's latest intervention is expected to reshape Kenya's royalty collection landscape by centralising payments on a single digital platform while strengthening oversight of revenue collected on behalf of artists and other copyright owners.