Uganda is stepping up efforts to combat digital piracy, which the government says threatens the country's digital economy.
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and key industry players have joined forces through the National Stakeholder Engagement on Anti-Piracy to strengthen efforts to address the problem.
The UCC on Tuesday hosted a forum to develop strategies to combat digital piracy, with participants from government, law enforcement and the private sector discussing ways to improve coordination and enforcement.
The initiative comes as the UCC continues to raise concerns about the impact of illegal content distribution, unauthorised streaming platforms and copyright infringement on Uganda's broadcasting, telecommunications and creative industries.
"Piracy is no longer merely an intellectual property issue," said Nyombi Thembo, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission.
"It is a critical economic, technological and national development challenge that threatens the very foundations of Uganda's digital economy."
Thembo said Ugandan creators invest their talent, broadcasters invest in quality programming and telecommunications operators spend significant amounts on digital infrastructure, but those investments continue to be undermined by piracy.
He said the damage extends beyond lost revenue, discouraging investment, stifling innovation, distorting fair competition and depriving the government of essential tax revenue.
"Furthermore, it directly harms citizens by exposing them to cyber threats, fraud and identity theft through unauthorised digital applications," Thembo added.
He said the ultimate goal of this week's engagement is to lay the foundations for a structured National Anti-Piracy Coordination Framework.
"By bringing together regulators, law enforcement, technology companies, copyright holders and tax authorities, we can collectively strengthen enforcement, improve information sharing and harness technology to protect our creative ecosystem."
The UCC estimates Uganda has lost more than $100 million to digital piracy, while government tax revenue has declined by an estimated $25.3 million.
Digital piracy in Uganda is primarily governed by the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act.
Penalties range from seven to 10 years' imprisonment and/or fines of between Sh40 million (about $10 700) and Sh50 million (about $13 400).
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