Rwandan artists and cultural industry professionals have recognized the importance of intellectual property rights, with many benefiting from the implementation of laws that punish those who copy their work for their own gain.

Painter Mpfizi Eugene shared his experience encountering people who imitated his art before introducing intellectual property laws. Since then, he and others in the industry feel safe with their work and protected against imitation. 

The Rwanda Investigation Bureau reported receiving 133 complaints of misappropriation of intellectual property in the last three years, with the most common cases being brand and film imitations. 

RIB revealed that in the last three years from the year 2019, this department has received 133 complaints related to the crime of misappropriation of intellectual property, where the suspects of the crime were 328 people; Among these cases, the most common ones were brand imitations at 30%, film imitations at 26.5%, while imitations of various products including food and beverages were at 18%."

The bureau's spokesperson, Dr Thierry Murangira noted that more people understand their intellectual property rights and are taking steps to protect their work. 

“Looking at the current situation, we can say that people are now getting to understand their rights in this regard. And they understand their responsibilities to protect their properties and know the way to go in case of any inquiries, which is the legal process to be justified. This will reduce the number of complaints about this crime. “He said.

Registrar General Richard Kayibanda urged efforts to encourage people to register their intellectual property. Intellectual property has become a crucial factor in the development and economy of Rwanda, particularly in the cultural industry.