NFF Rejects Draft Copyright Bill, Warns of State Control Over Artists’ Rights

By Francis Maingaila

Lusaka, Zambia24  --- (February 3, 2026) — The National Freedom Front (NFF) has rejected the Draft Copyright and Related Rights Bill, 2025, saying the proposed law weakens artists’ ownership rights and places excessive control of creative works in the hands of the State.

Mulenga Tembo, Chairperson for Mobilization, told Zambia24 that although the Bill is presented as a modernisation of Zambia’s copyright framework, it undermines the fundamental principle of copyright law — the exclusive ownership of creative works by their creators.

Tembo said the Bill’s provisions on collective management, particularly those in Part VII, propose the creation of a Rights Management Society of Zambia under extensive oversight by the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) and State-appointed structures, shifting licensing, royalty collection, and distribution powers away from artists.

He said the arrangement effectively turns regulation into State control and risks undermining artists’ independence over their rights and earnings.

The party also raised concern over Sections 22 and Part VI of the Bill, arguing that broad limitations and exceptions dilute authors’ exclusive rights and reduce ownership to a conditional privilege rather than a guaranteed right.

NFF further warned that the Bill fails to guarantee fair remuneration for digital use and private copying under Section 28 and related provisions, despite increased consumption of creative content online, a situation Tembo said would lead to higher usage of creative works with reduced earnings for artists.

While acknowledging provisions that criminalise piracy, NFF said the Bill does not address exploitative digital business practices that allow digital platforms to profit at the expense of creators.

The party has since called for the immediate withdrawal of the Draft Copyright and Related Rights Bill, 2025, urging government to hold meaningful consultations with artists and creative sector stakeholders before redrafting the law.

Tembo said a sustainable creative economy cannot be built without protecting artists’ control over their work, stressing that government should play an oversight role rather than assume ownership.