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{
    "id": 768836,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/768836/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 102,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Waweru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1378,
        "legal_name": "Dennis Kariuki Waweru",
        "slug": "dennis-kariuki-waweru"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I really appreciate this opportunity to rise and support the Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which in itself seeks to amend an Act of Parliament which is the Copyright Act, 2001. From the outset, I would like to note that entertainment and the creative economy in Kenya is a multi-billion shilling industry. As such, this Bill is very timely. We will all agree that ideas are going to become the currency of the new world. The new world belongs to men and women who will be coming up with great noble and exemplary ideas. Our recent history is replete with examples of great men with great ideas who have contributed in a massive way to the development of our globe. I know names like Bill Gates will come to mind with his idea of a computer on every desktop; a man like Steve Jobs of the Apple Computers fame; and Mark Zuckerberg who recently visited Kenya. He created the largest country by population in the world today. This country or world that he created is actually online. It does not exist anywhere physically. However, by virtue of the population of the people on Facebook today, it is the largest world. And so, ideas are going to be the biggest driver of development of the globe going forward. This House is also not short of examples; Hon. Njagua from Starehe Constituency comes to mind; Hon. Mohamed Ali of Jicho Pevu and of course, the Hon. Member for Dagoretti South, all who applied their trade in the creative industry. It is to such minds of great ideas that the future belongs. The Bible reminds us that we are co-creators with God and as such, the environment that God did not create naturally, he left for us to co-create with him and hence the need for us to look into this industry of idea creation. Well, it has been said by my colleague and senior, Hon. Cecily Mbarire that if we are able to amend this Bill and put it out there, we shall actually be availing opportunities. This is because we realise that not all our young people will get employment opportunities in Government. Not all our young people will be employed in companies. However, if we widen the scope of tapping talents and making them an industry that pays our young people, we shall be availing opportunities to millions of Kenyans. As such, this Bill is critical in the protection of copyright and intellectual property, and is very timely. I would ask this House to expedite the passage and implementation of the Bill. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I do know that we cannot legislate creativity but I know that we can legislate the conditions that allow for creativity to thrive. That is what this Bill seeks to do. As I support it, I want to add that I see an opportunity for us to broaden our view of creativity beyond what was traditionally the visual and performing arts. There are new worlds with great opportunities that beckon out there. These opportunities are in the new industries of information technology. There are great opportunities for creative ideas to thrive. With that, I would like to say that unlike what has been said by the Member for Kisumu East, I do not find the penalties punitive. Some of the offenders of copyright rules are multinational corporations. They exploit conceptual ideas and intellectual properties of young Kenyans to make billions of dollars while the creators suffer and linger in poverty in this country. As such, I support stiffer penalties for copyright offenders. There are big multinational corporations who go against the tenets of the Bible and reap where they did not saw. Hon. Njagua will tell you that for every shilling he makes, a pirate makes Kshs5 out of his creative works. Therefore, some punitive penalties have to be instituted. I would like us to co-opt the ideas of creative bodies in this country. I urge this House to move with speed in forming the relevant committee so that these bodies can appear before us and share with us their ideas on the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2017. These bodies include but are 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."
}