Video-film Production and Distribution in Tanzania: Copyright Infringement and Piracy
Abstract
Regardless of the enforcement of the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act, Cap.218 R.E 2002 (i.e. the Copyright Act), Tanzania remains one of the "notorious" countries known for copyright infringement and piracy. In video-films, piracy comes in various forms such as illegal sales and counterfeit production. Piracy affects both locally made video-films and imported ones mostly in Digital Video Discs (DVDs) and Video Compact Discs (VCDs). Poor production and distribution contracts as well as infringement of moral and commercial rights of most filmmakers are the key challenges. This article sets to examine the enforcement of the Copyright Act in Tanzania. It focuses mainly on infringement and piracy in both video-film production and distribution. I argue that regardless of the existing laws and regulations, copyright infringement and piracy are leading challenges to the video-film environment in the country. I suggest legal reforms to the Copyright Act in order to accommodate technological advancement and complexities in video-film production and distributionReferences
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