(MISA/IFEX) – The Copyright and Neighbouring Right Act, which will replace the Copyright Act of 1976, has been gazetted into law. On 23 November 2000, “The Herald” reported that the act, which was passed by parliament in October and agreed to by President Mugabe, will protect literary, musical, artistic and audio visual works, sound and […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The Copyright and Neighbouring Right Act, which will replace the Copyright Act of 1976, has been gazetted into law. On 23 November 2000, “The Herald” reported that the act, which was passed by parliament in October and agreed to by President Mugabe, will protect literary, musical, artistic and audio visual works, sound and satellite transmissions. The act fulfils Zimbabwe’s obligations under international conventions.
Work other than broadcasts or programmes carrying a signal shall not be eligible for copyright, unless they have been reduced to writing, recorded or material form. One of the provisions of the new law provides that the ownership of a copyright shall vest in the author of the work concerned, or in the case of a work of joint ownership, the co-authors of the work. However, where a literary or artistic work is made by an author in the course of his or her employment by a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical under a contract of service or apprenticeship, the proprietor shall be the owner of the work, in so far as the copyright relates to publishing the work.
Copyright in an audio visual work shall vest in the exclusive right of the owner to do or to authorise the reproduction of the work, broadcast it, make it available on a public computer network, cause it to be seen or heard in public and adapt the work.
Technological developments such as the widespread use of photocopiers, audio and video recorders and computers have made several provisions of the 1967 act obsolete.
