Parliament Committee Engages Justice Ministry and URSB on Key Intellectual Property Treaties
The Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs has engaged the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA) and the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) on key international intellectual property (IP) treaties, as Parliament considers Uganda’s commitments under the agreements.
The engagement, held earlier today, was led by the Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi, who headed a delegation from MoJCA and URSB.
The meeting provided the Committee with information to support its examination of treaties whose implementation falls under the mandate of the two institutions.
The treaties discussed included the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the WIPO Copyright Treaty, the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, 1996, and the Marrakesh Treaty of 2012.
The Marrakesh Treaty is particularly important for improving access to published works for people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled through copyright exceptions.
The engagement follows the tabling of 17 treaties, protocols and agreements before Parliament by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the 12th sitting of the first meeting of the first session of the 12th Parliament on 4 August 2026. The instruments were ratified or acceded to by Uganda between 2021 and 2025 in accordance with the Ratification of Treaties Act.
The engagement emphasises the importance of strong legal and institutional frameworks in protecting creative works and supporting Uganda’s creative sector.
