Intellectual property: How can creators’ rights be protected?

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the law protects industrial, literary and artistic works, including machines, books, songs, paintings, sculptures and photographs. Yet many artists, musicians, writers, video creators and inventors struggle to earn a living from their work because of piracy, counterfeiting and weaknesses in royalty collection, enforcement and penalties. The public’s habit of consuming culture free on digital platforms has added to the challenge. Jody Daniel Nkashama discusses ways to improve intellectual-property protection with researcher and writer Ruffin Lukoo Musubao and specialist intellectual-property lawyer Justine Chikaya.