The protection of performing artists through collective management organisations in Rwanda

Abstract

Over time, Copyright and Related rights have been overset by technology innovations. The internet was the last step in this evolution. The scholars wrote abundantly to the meaningful problems raised by the internet and the executable enforcement of copyrights in the digital age, performing artists have remained absent to the discussions. Law no31/2009 of 26/10/2009 on the protection of intellectual property is an affluent collection of good practices from various legal materials that have been in position at the international and regional. But, some problems upset the fair protection for performing artist’s rights in country of Rwanda. The thesis analyses the articles of law linking for the legal status of Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) and its functioning in order to protect the performers for their works and applicable remedies and propose sustainable responses to the problems that are affecting the enforcement of performing artist’s rights protections in Rwanda. The general objective of the dissertation is to assess the legal state of collective management organisations landscape, to ascertain the protection and promotion of rights for performing artists. The research addresses Collective Management Organisations (CMO) reforms aimed at the realization of protecting and promoting of performing artists’ rights in Rwanda in the current and prospective generation. From this assessment, the study finds that there exist in Rwanda only one monopoly multipurpose CMO. This situation requires more input especially to fill the gaps created by the scattered current legislation. Consequently, this dissertation will make an additional contribution on the existing literature(s) to the collective management organizations of copyrights. The study will enlighten government officials, and other agencies which advocates for performers artists copyrights promotion and protection, focus on the weakness of the available legal regime. The study will help law makers and implementers to come up with new strategies and laws to improve on the collective management organization for the performing artist in Rwanda