The High Court has directed that the dispute involving the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) be heard inter partes on July 21, 2026.
This comes after declining to overturn a ruling of the Copyright Tribunal that barred the society from collecting and distributing royalties due to a lack of a valid operating licence.
MCSK, through its lawyer Duncan O’kubasu, had moved to the High Court under a certificate of urgency on December 10, 2025, seeking to stay the Tribunal’s ruling that prohibited it from collecting and distributing royalties.
The society had lso sought to suspend a decision by the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) dated October 14, 2025, which declined to issue it with an operating licence pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
MCSK additionally sought injunctive orders restraining KECOBO and the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK).
MCSK further argued that the Tribunal erred in law by finding that it failed to meet the requirements for registration under the Copyright Act.
