The Kenya Copyright Board conducted a major raid in the Nairobi County. The raid targeted some identified pirates in Nairobi CBD at the Generations Plaza Building along Racecourse Road. Four people were arrested with 50 bags of infringing copies of musical works, seven duplicators, two computers and four printers. The persons will be arraigned at the Milimani Court tomorrow Friday 13th March 2015 from 9:00am.
Piracy continues to be a major challenge and a big setback to creative industry. About 98% of music sold in Kenya is pirated. And according to the findings of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) 2010 Global Software Piracy Study, software piracy rate in Kenya stands at 79 per cent. A recent survey by the Kenya Publishers Association shows that the country loses more than 2 billion to piracy. Although statistics on the overall losses attributable to piracy in copyright-based industries are not available, the levels of piracy in the books, music and software sectors give evidence of a serious hemorrhage with far-reaching implications on creativity and government revenue. It follows then that reduction in piracy would result in economic gains.
A survey conducted by the Kenya Copyright Board revealed that some of the people who engage in piracy do not know that it is a crime. And although others may know that piracy is a crime, they may not fully grasp its serious implications. In addition, some upcoming artists may not know what rights they enjoy and what action to take when their rights are infringed. There is therefore need for KECOBO to collaborate with the media to educate the public and the reason KECOBO is requesting your station to assist us in the fight against piracy.