Kenya has become the latest country to join the Beijing Treaty.

Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) has been on the forefront pushing for the ratification of Beijing treaty by the government of Kenya. PRISK wrote enough support memoranda and now a performer in audiovisual performances is better protected.

The Treaty deals with the intellectual property rights of performers in audiovisual performances.

It grants performers four kinds of economic rights for their performances fixed in audiovisual fixations, such as motion pictures:

(i)                   The right of reproduction;

(ii)                 The right of distribution;

(iii)                The right of rental; and

(iv)               The right of making available.

THE RIGHT OF REPRODUCTION is the right to authorize director or indirect reproduction of the performance fixed in an audiovisual fixation in any manner or form.

THE RIGHT OF DISTRIBUTION is the right to authorize the making available to the public of the original and copies of the performance fixed in an audiovisual fixation through sale or other transfer of ownership.

THE RIGHT OF RENTAL is the right to authorize the commercial rental to the public of the original and copies of the performance fixed in an audiovisual fixation.

THE RIGHT OF MAKING AVAILABLE is the right to authorize the making available to the public, by wire or wireless means, of any performance fixed in an audiovisual fixation, in such a way that members of the public may access the fixed performance from a place and at a time individually chosen by them. This right covers, in particular, on-demand, interactive making available through the Internet.

 Here is a summary of the Treaty Courtesy of WIPO: SUMMARY OF THE BEIJING TREATY

Benefits of the treaty to Performers in AV Courtesy of WIPO : BENEFITS OF THE BEIJING TREATY ON AV PERFORMANCES

Images and Links by World Intellectual Property Organisation.