•The organisations were issued with provisional certificates on November 8, 2023.
•The court case is set to be determined on May 30.
Image: JOSHUA KUTUNY/X
The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has instructed all Collective Management Organisations to cease their operations with immediate effect pending the renewal of their licences.
In a statement on Wednesday, the agency said the six-month licences issued in November last year have expired.
As a result, the CMOs cannot continue operating until they are renewed.
“We wish to notify the public that the provisional licenses issued in November 2023 have lapsed as of today,” KECOBO board chair Joshua Kutuny said.
The new issuance of new licences, Kutuny noted, has also been suspended until a case filed in court is heard and determined.
He said the directive will remain in force pending the hearing and determination of a case filed in court retraining it from issuing the licences.
The CMOs affected are the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) and Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) among others.
These organisations were issued with provisional certificates on November 8, 2023.
On April 10, this year, KECOBO Board, upon the review of the performances of the three CMOs issued a call for new license applications in a bid to involve all the stakeholders.
“The new licenses were intended to be effective from May 9, this year,” Kutuny said.
By April 24, the Board had received applications from five which include MCSK, KAMP, PAVRISK formerly PRISK, Collective Management Services (CMS) Ltd, and Film Maker Rights Achievers of Kenya (FRAK) Ltd.
On March 28, KECOBO explained that an interested party filed a petition at the High Court in Nairobi where orders were issued restraining it from issuing licenses.
The court is set to be determined on May 30.
Kutuny has at the same time disclosed that KECOBO has received written submissions in response to its advertisement from stakeholder on the suitability of the five CMOs which applied for license.
“The secretariat is preparing a report based on the applications and written submissions of stakeholders in preparation for physical public participation forum to be held in Nairobi later this month,” he said.
This is therefore to request stakeholders and artists for patience until the process a concluded, he added.