Copyright board delists 3 royalty collecting agencies

Mr Edward Sigei, Kecobo executive director. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Kenya Copyright Board (Kecobo) has revoked operating licences for agencies that collect and distribute royalties on intellectual works by artistes for three months or until further advised.

In a notice to the public, Kecobo said the Kenya Association of Music Producers (Kamp), the Performers Rights Society of Kenya (Prisk), and the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) violated licensing conditions.

The board says that out of Sh114 million in royalties collected as at the end of July 2021, the three collective management organisations (CMOs) distributed only Sh41 million, representing 35.9 percent, instead of 70 percent of the monies, which is about Sh79 million.

“It should be noted that the distribution excludes money received and expensed in the other accounts out of Kecobo monitoring system,” said Kecobo Executive Director Edward Sigei.

KECOBO Cracks Whip:

The Kenya Copyright Board has deregistered KAMP, MCSK and PRISK; says it has initiated an investigation into what it terms as misappropriation of royalties collected by collective management organisations.#NTVAtOne @OBurrows pic.twitter.com/wsbnJPkS0q

— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) August 24, 2021

Earlier in the year, the board issued the agencies with provisional licences to allow them time to meet the set conditions.

“This [the revocation] follows show cause letters issued to the CMOs for non-compliance to the licensing conditions specifically breach of administrative cost limit and diversion of royalties into an undeclared account which operations are unmonitored by Kecobo,” he said.