Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) is leaving no stone unturned in an effort to promote the progress of useful arts by protecting the exclusive right of authors and creators so that they benefit from their works and obtain economic rewards for their creations.
Having worked tirelessly in conducting raids across the country and seizing equipment used in burning and producing pirated copies of musical works, yesterday on 11th march 2020, COSOMA Inspectors set out to 3 locations including (Likuni, Area 36 and Chigwili) and confiscated over 40 printing and photocopying machines that were used in reproducing other peopleβs work without a Reprographic License.
Commenting on the incident, the Assistant Licensing Manager for the Southern region, Mr. Thomas Chirambo, said the operation was conducted in the locations with an aim to sensitize the public as well as to get people to comply with the license.
βPrinting and photocopying of copyright works is contrary to Section 93 of the Copyright Act of Malawi (2016) and attracts a court fine of k5, 000,000 and to imprisonment for two years. As for now, we are not taking them to court, we are allowing them to pay a down payment of k35, 000 plus penalty of 5000, and with that sum they can recover their equipment as well as a license and settle their balances later at a given periodβ. Chirambo said.
He urged people to come get the license citing that it is only k45000 per year.
The copyright law protects a number of works such as literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, architectural and audiovisual works.