ACA2K Uganda Node
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Uganda ACA2K Country Node
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Dr. Dick Kawooya
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ACA2K Lead Researcher & Uganda research team member, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), USA
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Mr. Ronald Kakungulu
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Uganda research team member, Makerere University, Kampala,
Uganda
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Ms. Jeroline Akubu
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Uganda research team member, Uganda Law Reform Commission (ULRC), Kampala
Uganda
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The Ugandan context is an important one because it presently offers mixed messages in terms of A2K. The country has amended its copyright law in recent years in a manner that has not taken full advantage of available limitations and exceptions. As a former British colony, Uganda follows a common law system. Starting with the 1953 Copyright Act, based on the British Act, Uganda's copyright environment remained relatively stable until the 2006 Copyright Act amendment that introduced wide-ranging changes in the then-Copyright Act of 1964.
What makes Uganda an important study context is one of the factors leading to the amendment of the 1964 Act. Uganda largely depends on donors or development partners for as much as 50% of the national budget. As part of economic reforms, the donors expect changes in the country's trade-related laws, including intellectual property laws. Against that background, Uganda started major legal reforms to meet the needs of the donors as well as the country's development objectives. Uganda is also part of the East African Community covering Kenya,Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The East African Community resolved to update intellectual property laws to protect creative industries. This environment of external pressure and some internal demands from artists has created an active copyright environment in Uganda with serious consequences for education and research. For instance, the new law places greater emphasis on enforcement with potential to limit access and use of information for education and research.
Uganda has a vibrant information sector, including a small but fast-growing publishing industry. Uganda also boasts of one of the most liberalised telecommunications industries, which has contributed tremendously to growth of the country's information and communication technology (ICT) sector. Given that environment, education and research institutions are making full use of digital technology for instruction and research. Unfortunately, the less-than-favorable copyright environment potentially stands in the way of full exploitation of ICTs and digital resources.
The Ugandan academic sector has been prominent in A2K circles, including the November 2005 Africa Copyright Forum Conference in Kampala, hosted by the National Library of Uganda and supported by the National Library Association of Uganda, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Africa Section and the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL) Virtual Copyright Group.
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