Lawpoint Uganda

Uganda faces some parallel concerns in its own economy. Monopoly control and platform dominance have shown up in sectors like telecommunications, banking, and digital finance. Until recently, Uganda’s framework for tackling such issues was fragmented and often weak. For example, telecom competition was governed by the Uganda Communications Act Cap 106 (as then), now Cap. 103 and its Fair Competition Regulations (2005).

The lawsuit between Ed Sheeran and the estate of Marvin Gaye over the alleged copying of “Let’s Get It On” in Sheeran’s 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” crystallises this tension. This dispute, spanning several years and multiple courts, has become emblematic of the challenges in defining originality in music and the limits of copyright protection

The emergence of artificial intelligence has further complicated the debate over authorship and copyright. AI systems are now capable of generating original works of art, music, literature, and code, thus raising the question of whether AI can be considered an author, and if so, how should copyright law apply? The U.S. Copyright Office has however taken a firm stance against recognizing AI as an author, stating that copyright protection extends only to works created by human

The Hermès v. Rothschild case therefore represents trademark law's attempt to re-establish control over the "real" and its signs in a hyperreal economy, asserting that even in the digital ether, the fundamental principles of preventing confusion and dilution must apply to maintain the integrity of established brands against unauthorized "simulacra."

The rise of artificial intelligence has dramatically transformed the landscape of voice imitation, making it possible to create highly realistic digital replicas of an individual’s voice, often without their knowledge or consent for example the Late Ugandan Artist, Moze Radio of GOODLYFE Music, there have been allegations of AI voice imitation of his likeness and vocal timbre.

A trademark must act as an indicator of origin, denoting from whom the goods or services came rather than what they are, that is why in Canon Kabushiki Kaisha v Metro Goldwyn - Mayer Inc court noted that the essential function of the trade mark is to guarantee the identity of the origin of the marked product to the consumer.