ZICCO HITS BACK AT ZIMURA OVER ROYALTY CLAIMS

By Desire Tshuma

HARARE — The Zimbabwe Council of Copyrights (ZICCO) has moved to clarify its operations and royalty collections, rejecting claims that it has been undercutting the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) or benefiting from royalties paid by broadcasters.

In a strongly worded statement, ZICCO chief executive officer Dr Tafadzwa Masembura said the organisation currently collects royalties from general users of copyrighted works, including restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels. Masembura said, contrary to recent reports, ZICCO had never received royalties from radio and television stations, despite music belonging to its members being used by broadcasters. Reports suggesting otherwise are therefore incorrect, he said.

ZICCO also dismissed allegations that it had been deliberately undercutting ZIMURA by offering cheaper licences to users of copyrighted works. The organisation said its approach had largely been focused on institutions and businesses that previously operated without the required licences, with flexibility extended to first-time licensees as part of efforts to promote compliance. ZICCO said the approach was in line with the Government’s ease-of-doing-business policy and had helped bring stakeholders who were unfamiliar with the licensing system into the formal copyright framework.

The organisation further sought to distance itself from allegations of incompetence, financial exploitation and mismanagement involving other collective management organisations, arguing that it was an independent entity with only three years of operational history. ZICCO is an independent organisation that has been operational for only three years, while other CMOs have operated for decades, including periods of monopoly in the sector, Masembura said.

The organisation said it had remained committed to its members despite facing several legal battles and incurring significant legal costs in defending itself against cases brought before the courts. ZICCO said it had not defaulted on royalty payments or other obligations to its members, including medical, funeral and legal assistance. It also rejected any suggestion that it had blamed ZIMURA for its legal expenses, saying it had never attributed the costs incurred in defending itself to the rival organisation.

The statement comes amid growing scrutiny of Zimbabwe’s collective management sector, with the recent Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services public hearings providing a platform for musicians and other rights holders to raise concerns about the administration of royalties and the wider creative industry. ZICCO said the hearings underscored the need for greater transparency and accountability in the sector.

The organisation urged ZIMURA to maintain professionalism in its public communications and avoid including ZICCO in its financial reports or representations in ways that could blur the distinction between the two organisations. ZICCO said it remained willing to work with Government, rights holders and other stakeholders to strengthen the country’s creative industries and ensure that artists and other copyright owners benefit from the commercial use of their works.