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{
    "id": 768507,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/768507/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 399,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Murugara",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13491,
        "legal_name": "George Gitonga Murugara",
        "slug": "george-gitonga-murugara"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the amendment Bill, which essentially seeks to amend the Copyrights Act, 2001, which Act had repealed the previous Copyrights Act which was possibly a dead-letter law. The reason I say so, it is during the existence of that Copyrights Act when there was lots and lots of piracy in the country and when Kenya possibly lost most of its intellectual property. This amendment is meant to ensure that the new innovations, which are part of intellectual property, are actually catered for and those rights are protected from pirates, both in the country and out of the country. There is a raft of amendments proposed, which I fully subscribe to and agree with. I wish to point out that in addition to protecting discoveries, what our citizens have invented, we have also to go to other rights which are derived from the mind, like music; we have also to take care of talents, like in arts; and all other properties that are bestowed in somebody because you have a gift from God. The proposed amendments establish the board that will deal with intellectual property and copyrights. It also establishes what would happen if there are infringements. I do agree that is a criminal offence and the culprits would have to be punished. The punishment should be relatively high because somebody has invented something through his own mind and somebody else wants to acquire it cheaply and pass it off as his own work. It is that act of passing off which this Bill tries to cure so that whatever it is that is property of the mind is protected from such pirates or passers-off. It is important to note that even here in Kenya, as we have been told, we have lost several innovations to outsiders. Kikoi, as mentioned, is one of them; the kiondo, which is a very popular basket with the Bantu communities was actually patented in Japan and therefore whatever it is we want to do with our chondo, kiondo or whatever they are called in our vernacular, we are not able to do it because it is the property of Japan and Japan protects that right in a very fervent manner. It is a high time we looked at our young talents. In the constituencies, we have young people who are artists, play games and are entertainers. They were all over during our campaigns. Some of them composed very nice music that propelled some Members of Parliament to this House. If they were all here, we would be debating as to whether we remunerated them or we just sucked their blood, only took their music yet it propelled us to this House and that was the end of the chapter. As Members of Parliament, we had an obligation to remunerate these artists. We have a right to protect them and help them down there. It is an obligation so that they can also develop into better citizens through their talents. We also have the other example of the Music Society of Kenya which tries to protect our musicians. However, it does not go very far despite the fact that it has a tribunal like the one that is being proposed here. However, everybody wants to go to radio stations, television and so on. There are also pirates who have pirated music which these musicians have come up with and who try to pass it off as their own product. In essence, my support to this Bill is due to the fact The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}