By Jimmy Chazama

The Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) has called upon people in the country to respect copyright by seeking consent for use of original works.

The copyright body’s executive director Dora Makwinja said this during a meeting with media practitioners in Lilongwe on Thursday.

It was part of its awareness drive on copyright-related issues. “People need to value other people’s works and always seek permission before using them. We, as Cosoma, are on a sensitisation drive so that people in the country understand copyright issues,” she said.

Makwinja also implored media houses to be paying broadcasting royalties, describing them as beneficial to artists.

“Media houses owe us broadcasting royalties and because of failure to do so, this has greatly impacted our operations to distribute to royalties to artists,” she said. Cosoma Assistant Licencing Officer Thomas Chirambo said respecting intellectual property rights and adhering to copyright laws was key to development.

“A lot of creators are not benefitting from their works due to copyright infringements. The media needs to help us reach out to the people,” Chirambo said. Recently, Cosoma engaged Film Association of Malawi on a number of issues, including the distribution of royalties.