* The Bills are Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Companies, Registrations & Intellectual Property Centre Bill, 2025
* Deemed to strip the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) of its statutory mandate and transfer copyright enforcement to a new entity that is not aligned with the sector
* Creators and sector leaders were not consulted, no public engagement was conducted, and the sector was excluded from decisions that directly affect its rights, income and future
By Duncan Mlanjira
Malawi’s creative practitioners — musicians, filmmakers, writers, visual artists, designers, performers and other cultural and creative industry players — contend that they are directly affected by two new Bills that they deem to have been “unilaterally drafted and passed by Parliament in February 2025, without any consultation”.
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They maintain that the Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Companies, Registrations & Intellectual Property Centre Bill, 2025, “strip the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) of its statutory mandate and transfer copyright enforcement to a new entity that is not aligned with the sector”.
“We’re calling on the President to withhold assent and initiate inclusive redrafting of the Bills,” says the petition 🔗 https://www.change.org/Withhold_Assent_To_Malawi_Copyright_Bills that has been circulated in the public space for stakeholders to sign in solidarity.
“Let’s protect Malawi’s creative economy — and make sure no law is made for us without us,” says the appeal statement — emphasising that by unilaterally drafting and passed by Parliament “without any consultation violates the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, which guarantees citizen participation in policy and law-making processes”.
“Creators and sector leaders were not consulted, no public engagement was conducted, and the sector was excluded from decisions that directly affect its rights, income and future.
“If these Bills are enacted without the input of creative industry stakeholders, Malawi risks silencing the voices of its creators and dismantling the few existing structures that protect their work.
“The proposed centralised IP Centre — effectively a rebranded Department of the Registrar General — lacks the sector-specific expertise needed to manage copyright effectively for the creative industries.
“Despite its mandate under the National Intellectual Property Policy (2019), the Registrar’s Office has not actively engaged the creative sector, nor has it implemented the IP awareness strategies that the policy demands — a failure that also contravenes the Access to Information Act (2016).
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“This unilateral transfer of COSOMA’s mandate risks confusing creators about where and how to register their works, weakening enforcement of their rights, delaying royalty payments, and introducing new bureaucratic barriers — especially for rural and emerging artists.
“Such a move threatens to destabilise Malawi’s creative economy — a vital sector for youth employment, innovation, national identity and cultural diplomacy. Worse still, it sets a dangerous precedent of law and policy-making without participation, undermining constitutional principles and public trust in national governance.”
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The creative practitioners is thus appealing to the public that — since President Lazarus Chakwera has not yet assented to the Bills — there is a chance; “a critical window to ensure these reforms are done right — with the sector, not to it”.
“This is a defining moment — we must defend our creative power, protect the rights of Malawian creators, and uphold our constitutional values of inclusion, transparency, and democratic participation.
“Now is the time to act. By signing this petition, you are standing for fairness, for creative justice, and for a future where artists and creators help shape the laws that govern them.
“Sign to support this call. Let us build — not dismantle — the future of Malawi’s creative economy. Your voice matters.”
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It is wise and proper to sign this document