ZIMBABWEAN MUSIC AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: A General Overview
An Excerpt by Sonny Mncedisi Dube In the span of their music careers, artists grapple with the multifarious demands of the music/ creative industry. Apart from complex beats, performance anxiety, gruelling studio sessions, tight schedules, fatigue from long flights and sleepless nights, they grapple with the law, complex contractual obligations and it is these that are more pressing and become a subject of rants, bitter and convoluted social media posts, debate, podcast topics, headlines, discussions and in some circumstances, lawsuits. Ignorantia juris non excusat - which means ignorance of the law is no excuse . Vigilantibus non dormientibus iura subveniunt - which means the law serves the vigilant not the indolent nor those who slumber. The above legal maxims become relevant in various cases as these artists sign contracts which are legal documents with unequivocal contractual terms on the consequences, rights and obligations of each party. It is imperative that ever...