LILONGWE (Maravi Post)—Copyright Bill tabled by the Minister of Sports and Culture Grace Chiumia on Thursday has been the first bill to be appreciated by all Members of Parliament (MP) in the August house, Maravi Post has established.Other bills brought chaos and divisions in the house as members especially from the opposition side failed to support it. A case in point is the customary land bill as well as the access to information bill among other.
Presenting the bill in Parliament, Chiumia said that the bill will help to eliminate piracy issues among others.
“Through the bill, all piracy culprits will be forced to pay K10 million fine from K250, 000 as was in the past,” said Chiumia.
“As a concerned ministry, we believe that this will protect the Malawian artists from getting nothing out of their sweat,” she added.
According to the Sports Minister, any artist infringed from such malpractice will receive K700, 000 from the fine paid by the perpetrators.
The bill did not take time to pass in the Parliament as both members welcomed it saying it is the future for Malawian artists.
Malawian artists have been pushing parliament to pass the bill for some years till today.
In his remarks, one of the renowned artists Bon Kalindo who is also the MP for Mulanje South appealed for government to make sure that the bill is implemented.
He said artists are part of employment source in the country hence it is important to be protected.
The principal is ..if you want P Squares or Martse or chalamanda or Justin Bierber or any other music to play and entertain people at your public function ..business..transport or workplace you will have to hire the musician .if you do not hire them to play in public ..do not play their music or copy their art and display it in public to save money which could could have been given to chalamanda if you hired him.by choosing to play his CD you still have to pay him for his art which you are displaying in public. Ie if you dont get a licence you are then entertaining and prospering by using someones else business ( art skill) without paying them. Law should be put in place to establish licences to anyone who plays music in public or outside residential establishment so that we owner our artist with their job skills art. For example Vic Kasinjas Joza shouldn’t be published in a newspaper or anywhere in public for entertainment or commercial gain if his family won’t get royalty.it takes time ..money… Skill…to create a masterpiece ..some didn’t even finish school and pay their bills through their art.you don’t work without pay they shouldn’t work without pay. U can listen in your car and home.put u need licence if you play music at your business , work or in public.