





Chief Guest Dr. Mary Teopista (Center), Amb. Francis Butagira, Registrar General Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho and URSB board members pose for a photo at the URSB ISO Certification External Stakeholders celebration
Hon. Nobert Mao congratulates the Registrar General, Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, and Board member, Ms. Lydia A. Sekkabira on the ISO 9001:2015 certification milestone
Mr. Hamidu Tumuhimbise, a senior Registration Officer, attends to a client during the UEB claimants exercise at the Uganda Business Facilitation Center, Kololo
A delegation from PACRA led by the Deputy Registrar Mr. Chewe Peter Chilufya (Center) visited URSB for a 3 days benchmarking visit on the Intellectual Property Registry on how systems operate, the digital improvements implemented and how these reforms contribute to reduced turnaround time
A delegation from UNOC visits URSB to benchmark on the Digital Transformation Journey.
Director General WIPO Mr. Daren Tang, Minister of Justice Hon. Nobert Mao, The Registrar General Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, URSB Board members a delegation from WIPO pause for a photo at the Uganda Business Facilitation Center during the DG’s mission to Uganda

URSB Joins Legal and Creative Experts to Decode Uganda’s Copyright Neighbouring Rights Bill 2025
As Uganda’s creative economy enters the digital age, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) is playing a key role in promoting awareness and protection of copyright and neighbouring rights.
On July 31, 2025, URSB staff, Martin George Sserwangi, and Victoria Okite joined a notable panel on Lawpoint Uganda’s X-Space Series titled “Pixels, Playlists & Protection: Decoding the Copyright Neighbouring Rights Bill 2025 in the Digital Age.”
The online discussion, hosted on X (formerly Twitter), was panelled by lawyers, creators, and regulators to unpack the implications of the upcoming Copyright Neighbouring Rights Bill and how it can be harnessed to empower Ugandan content creators.
Martin George Sserwangi, Regulations Officer, Department of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, emphasized that the bill is designed to help the government meet critical public goals by strengthening protections for creatives. “The focus is on compensation and legal protection. It’s about ensuring copyright owners are recognized and rewarded,” he said.
Victoria Okite, Senior Regulation Officer, highlighted the importance of public engagement and planned sensitization efforts once the bill is passed. “Many copyright owners don’t even know they hold rights that need protection. Just as land is valued and defended, so should creative works,” she noted.
With Uganda’s creative sector among the fastest-growing globally, URSB reaffirms its commitment to raising awareness, strengthening collective management organizations (CMOs), and promoting a culture of respect for intellectual property rights in the digital age.