The state has once again come under scrutiny, this time with allegations of copyright infringement.
Travel blogger, Rajvir Soin has accused the state of taking some of his YouTube content and incorporating it in the Madaraka day documentary that was aired in various TV stations in Kenya, without permission, attribution or compensation.
The blogger disclosed that he was home and got shocked when he saw himself on TV without any attribution during the feed that was shared with major broadcasters across the country. The state used part of his footage from his YouTube channel as part of a documentary on the progress of the country.
After the video was aired, Soin took to social media to express his shock at the matter.
“(The State) has blatantly stolen my content with no consent, no permission, no credits, and no compensation. These clips have been played on Live TV.I am not even counting the fact that they have used my face on live TV which is a separate cost on its own,” he said.
He called on his fans to help him make noise on his issue so he could get his dues.
“I’d appreciate it if you could help me by reposting and calling out.”
According to Section 35 of the Copyright Act, Copyright Infringement can be by a person who, without the permission of the owner of the copyright, distributes, imports, broadcasts or makes available to the public, protected works, records or copies from which electronic rights management information has been removed or altered without the authority of the right holder.
Shortly after his post on social media, officials from Statehouse are said to have reached out to him and started talks on how he would be compensated for the copyright infringement. He thanked his fans for their support.
“I am so grateful for your support and voices. The State House media guys reached out to me.”
Rajvir Soin is a travel photographer and filmmaker who makes vlogs on YouTube. Along with his adventures, he loves to create compelling photo and video content for different brands. He started his channel as a place to post short, personal videos. Throughout the years, it turned into his own form of art. He believes that good storytelling is the most important ingredient in creating great videos.