Types of Intellectual Property Rights
The four types of IP rights include:
Copyrights Patents Trademarks Industrial designs
Understanding Copyright
The copyright law grants the creator of an idea or concept exclusive rights to the use and distribution of their work for a limited time during which the creator should receive monetary compensation. The creation may be an original book, a song, a movie, a painting, a script, etc. The Copyright Act No. 12 of 2001 governs the copyright law, while the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) does all the copyright registration. Please note that you cannot claim copyright to any literal, song, or other artistic works, unless you have them in material and/or tangible form. You also have to prove beyond all doubt that your work is original and not copied from any other existing works.
How to Register for Copyright
For Bank: Kenya Commercial Bank Account Name: Kenya Copyright Board Account Number: 1104002450 Or MPESA: After successful payment, you must present the physical bank slip or MPESA message receipt to the KECOBO reception desk. The institution will in turn give you a registration receipt. You may have to wait between 5 and 7 days to get the Certificate of Registration. KECOBO uses this time to do thorough investigations and prove claimed originality.
Why you should get Copyright Rights
With the copyright rights, you stand the exclusive rights to control the following: You also get full rights to:
Claim full authorship Refuse the distribution, modification, mutilation, or any other negative actions towards the original work.
Bonus Information
Copyright rights last the duration of your lifetime + 50 years after death. In case of copyright infringement, follow the correct legal procedures and defer from using social media or other channels unrelated to the law.
