Govt Goes After Citizen TV, NTV & KTN in Fresh Crackdown

The government on Friday, November 15, put on notice all broadcasters including Citizen TV, NTV and KTN over their copyright obligations.

In a joint statement by Kenya Copyright Board (Kecobo), and the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the broadcasters were notified of their obligation to ensure they were carrying out their services in accordance with the law.

They were required to provide documentary evidence of having paid for the copyright fees to the authority.

"CA required broadcast service providers and telecommunications content service providers to demonstrate that they have met their copyright obligations in accordance with their licence conditions by furnishing the authority with documentary evidence on the payment of music or any other royalties in compliance to the said requirement by November, 29, 2019," the joint statement read in part.

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Confirming the notice, a Kecobo representative stated that all licensed broadcasters were being targetted in the exercise.

"In the event, they do not comply, they will not have their licenses renewed. It is a pre-condition for licensing," the official revealed.

Under the current copyright laws, service providers are responsible for all obligations and liabilities to any third party associated with copyrights or other rights that may arise from the broadcast/distribution of copyrighted content. 

"They are also expected to negotiate and agree on legal contracts with copyright licensing bodies or authorised legal vendors before broadcasting/distributing copyrighted material," the statement added.

According to the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) which is the media regulatory body in Kenya, there are more than 64 free-to-air TV stations.

Here's is the joint statement by Kecobo and CA:

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