Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) has planned to collect levy from buses showing Tanzanian films.
This was stated by the Chief Executive Officer of Tanzania Copyright (COSOTA) Doreen Anthony when addressing Tanzanian film stakeholders at the Commission of Science and Technology (COSTECH) hall yesterday.
Doreen said this was one of the strategic plans created by COSOTA in protecting the intellectual property rights of artists in the country.
“In a year we planned to charge 50,000/- for the luxury buses, 30,000/- for the casual buses and 20,000/- for the inside buses,” said Doreen.
In addition, Doreen said there has been a huge wave of many Tanzanian films being shown in different buses without permission of the artists.
Also she said, they have decided to do this in order to protect the film industry in the country as well as to improve the lives of artists through their work that our artists are preparing.
For his part, COSOTA Legal Officer Lupakisyo Mwambinga said, in collecting these royalties they have decided to start with public transport where they have been showcasing the works of artists without the intellectual property rights of the artists themselves.
Adding he said: “In protecting the work of artists we have been conducting some operations in various places that have been selling and showing artist films to the public without having copyright from the artist concerned.
“I ask the artists to cooperate with us so that we can reach the target as we have planned in protecting and creating good lives for the people concerned,” said Lupakisyo.
Additionally, the vice-president of the Tanzania Film Federation Nyakwesi Silas said, the artist is entitled to his basic rights because COSOTA’s job is to manage the intellectual property rights of artists and their work in general.
“There has been a massive theft of works by filmmakers in the country so in collaboration with COSOTA it is putting in place effective strategies that will help in protecting these works of our artists,” she added.
A Tanzanian filmmaker and a secretary of the national distribution association Madebe Lidai, has praised COSOTA for establishing a new system that will be effective in protecting and improving the work of artists.
