36 arrested over music piracy

POLICE in Kigali city has arrested 36 people allegedly accused of involvement of counterfeit music products of various local artists in Nyarugenge District. Speaking to The Sunday Times at Muhima police station where they are being detained, Police spokesperson, Superintendent Eric Kayiranga, said that the group was arrested on Friday evening in various crackdowns which were carried out by the police. “There are 36 individuals who are now in our custody for being in the illegal business of counterfeiting music products of some of the local artists.” Supt Kayiranga said. “It’s in this respect that we are enforcing the protection of the intellectual property because this act disrupts artists from making enough profits out of their products”.He said that they also confiscated some of the equipment which the suspects have been using. These include Compact Discs (CDs), Computers, and Laptops to burn songs. Kayiranga added that the illegal business has been affecting the country financially and culturally since the local artistes lose out to music pirates who have been selling CDs for only Rwf500 yet the original ones cost at least Rwf5,000. The president of Ingoma Music Association, a Rwandan artistes’ association, Jean Pierre Rugirana, said that this business has not only been affecting the artists’ financially, but it has also been compromising the quality of their music products. Joseline Uwineza commonly known as Miss Jojo, one of the popular local artists, said: “We as Rwandan musicians know that our profession is to entertain the citizens, but on the other hand, we are also supposed to earn a living from it, but these people who have been arrested, illegally sell our music products without giving us any money.” Rugirana said that they will organize seminars for music distributors in order for them to clearly understand what the law says about selling someone’s music products. “Honestly speaking, I agree that this business we have been doing is illegal, but I also call upon the Rwandan artistes’ association, together with National Police, to train us on what the law stipulates in order for someone to be enabled to distribute music products,” the owner of Wakeup Studio, Michael Matabaro, who was among those arrested, said. Ends