Copyright Registration

The Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act, 1999 establishes an organization known as Copyright Society of Tanzania. One of the functions of this organization is to maintain registers of works, productions and association of authors, performers, translators, producers of sound recordings, broadcasters and publishers. The head of the Copyright Society of Tanzania is the Copyright Administrator. The Copyright Administrator is the Chief Executive Officer of the Society and is responsible for administration and management of the Society, including the supervision of other staff of the Society. One of the powers of the Copyright Administrator is to receive and register copyrights. Apart from registering new applications, the Copyright Administrator receives and registers copyright licenses and assignments.

For new application for registration of a copyright, the applicant is required to provide address of service within Tanzania in a prescribed form. The address of service in a prescribed form always accompanies the application for registration of copyright. On receiving the application for registration of copyright, the Copyright Administrator conducts search on the registered works with a view to ascertaining the existence of the same work in the register. After conducting search, the Copyright Administrator may accept or reject the application. If the Copyright Administrator rejects the application, he will inform the applicant and the applicant has one month to reply to the objection by the Copyright Administrator. If the Copyright Administrator accepts the application, he will issue the certificate of registration.