‘Media policy on copyright theft on the cards’

(From left) Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) CEO Kenias Mafukidze, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister Jenfan Muswere, AMH editor-in-chief Kholwani Nyathi and production manager Taurai Matambo during a familiarisation tour at AMH offices in Graniteside on Thursday

GOVERNMENT says it will craft a policy restricting unregistered online media and other content creators from “stealing” articles written by other media houses. Information minister, Jenfan Muswere, said the practice affected revenues of registered media.

“It is one of the issues that I read about. The digital revolution is breaking the benefits such that you create content. Generally we all need content but once uploaded on digital platforms the content aggregators will harvest and circulate and reap the profits,” Muswere said.

He made the remarks during a familiarisation tour at Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) on Thursday.

AMH are publishers of NewsDay, The Standard and Zimbabwe Independent.

It also owns online broadcasting company Heart & Soul.

“The original content creators have nothing to show for it and that is one of the issues and it is very important for us to sit and deliberate on it. It then becomes part of the new media policy that will see the original content creator benefiting,” Muswere said.

“We had discussed technical solutions that would eye all media houses so I am engineering new solutions so that content will be shared among all media houses.”AMH chief executive officer, Kenias Mafukidze, said the company had been successfully hosting a series of investment forums which supported the government’s drive to attract capital to the country.

“His Excellency (President Emmerson Mnangagwa) attended our inaugural investment forum. We had one of the biggest conferences on renewable energy for which His Excellency is also the patron,” Mafukidze said.

“We are planning to make it an annual event. Our drive is to make sure that Zimbabwe becomes a centre for all that. So we are completely with you on the idea of promoting the country as it progresses.”

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