The Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) has invited all musicians, whether they are members or not, to attend its nationwide workshops on copyright awareness.
ZIMURA executive director Polisile Ncube-Chimhini, told Chronicle that the workshops aim to inform and empower musicians on their intellectual property rights and how to protect them from infringement.
The workshops are set to be held in different provinces throughout the year, starting with Mutare in Manicaland on 12 March and ending with Gwanda in Matabeleland South on 20 November.
The workshops also seek to promote ethical and legal practices in the music industry. Said Ncube-Chimhini:
This is a service we give to artistes and stakeholders. From last year we did workshops around the country throughout the year, so this year we are doing the same.
Artistes need to take time to know copyright to avoid infringing other artistes’ copyright.
They need to attend workshops, read widely on intellectual property laws, visit ZIMURA social media handles or visit the office for more information on intellectual property.
Issues of copyright violation made headlines in the past few weeks after gospel musician Pastor Charles Charamba filed a complaint with YouTube leading to the removal of a music video by Jah Signal titled “Sweetie” which had garnered millions of views.
Jah Signal released the song without obtaining consent from Pastor Charamba, who claimed that the song was a remix of his gospel song, “Kana Vanhu Vangu.”
Pastor Charamba alleged that the lyrics in Jah Signal’s song were blasphemous and expressed his dissatisfaction with the unauthorised use of his music.
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