Africa
World sports bodies raise concern over Kenya copyright bill

The Kenya Copyright Board (KeCOBO) champion of the Partners Against Piracy (PAP) initiative, has come out in support of the SROC letter
NAIROBI, Kenya, February 15, 2022/ — A coalition of global sports bodies has written an open letter to the Kenyan government, expressing concern about the Copyright Amendment Bill currently before parliament, and its potential impact on the availability of international sports content in Kenya.
The Sports Rights Owner Coalition (SROC) is an alliance of more than 50 international and national sport bodies, representing some of the world’s leading sport codes and competitions – including the English Premier League, the FA Cup, Wimbledon, MotoGP, and the Rugby World Cup.
In the recent letter, signed by Chairman Mark Lichtenstein, the SROC says its members are “extremely concerned” at changes that will be made to Kenya’s Copyright Act if the Copyright Amendment Bill becomes law.
The SROC is particularly worried about proposals to repeal sections 35B, 35C and 35D of the Copyright Act, which allow for take-down notices issued to internet-based service provider platforms which enable content piracy to flourish.
A take-down notice is a widely used remedy employed by copyright owners worldwide, compelling online platforms to rapidly remove content from their websites if it is suspected that the content infringes copyright.
The Kenya Copyright Board (KeCOBO) champion of the Partners Against Piracy (PAP) initiative, has come out in support of the SROC letter.
“Take-down notices are a critical tool for copyright holders and related rights holders to fight digital content piracy by controlling the distribution and economic viability of their work and how it is accessed online,” says Edward Sigei, KeCOBO Executive Director.
“Across the world, they help to safeguard the intellectual property rights of sports rights owners. If rights owners cannot request that pirated sports content is taken down immediately, that will threaten the future of live sports broadcasts in Kenya. Why would international sports media allow sports broadcasts in Kenya, if they have no way of stopping them from being pirated!”
Kenya’s 2019 Copyright Amendment Bill, incorporates principles from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Internet Treaties of 1996, aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works. Takedown notices are among these principles and are necessary tools to enforce copyright protections for rights owners and distributors.
If the Amendment Bill is passed into law, Kenya will be out of step with global trends, the average Kenyan will lose out on great sports entertainment. A further negative consequence of this Amendment Bill passing would be the reputational and economic investment quagmire it would create is jeopardising Kenya’s ability to renew participation in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Agreement (AGOA) program, as one of the additional provisions of renewal requires a demonstrated commitment to copyright protection as a prerequisite to signing. Repealing section 35 of the Copyright Act, would do the exact opposite and threaten investor confidence.
The SROC points out that in Europe, policy makers are strengthening not weakening the effectiveness of take-down notices, particularly regarding live content. New proposals to protect live content more effectively in Europe are expected in the first half of 2022.
“Were the Copyright Amendment Bill to be enacted, it could have devastating consequences for both the Kenyan economy and Kenyan consumers,” says the SROC letter. “Rights holders from sport and other creative industries are extremely unlikely to license their content in a jurisdiction that effectively legitimises piracy. Consumers would therefore be deprived from watching their favourite sports and television shows, and leave Kenya isolated on the global copyright stage.”
The coalition – which includes the English FA, UEFA, the IAAF, and the International Tennis Federation – goes on to ask that the proposed new law be urgently reconsidered “so as not to harm Kenyan consumers and threaten the availability of sports and entertainment content in Kenya.”
Africa
IPO Bound Yudiz Solutions Limited gets DRHP Nod

IPO-bound Yudiz Solutions Limited, a blockchain, AI and gaming-focused enterprise technology company has received an NSE approval for an SME IPO. With this approval, the company is set to invest approximately 80 million INR to set up a gaming studio and a multi-gaming platform. The game studio will aim to produce over 40 games in a year.
Yudiz Solutions Limited, which is already known to develop apps, will now be the first game developers to be publicly listed and have its own publishing platform.
* The DRHP approval makes it the first game developers in India to be publicly listed
* The gaming studio will aim to produce over 40 games annually
* Will be the first game developers to be publicly listed
The new Yudiz Solutions Limited game studio will focus on creating high-quality games for multiple platforms. These games will leverage Yudiz Solutions Limited’s cutting-edge technology solutions and in-house expertise to design and develop the games. They will also develop games for other publishers and will also allow other developers to publish games on their new publishing platform. This will be the only gaming company to develop and publish their own and others’ games as well.
“The new business ventures will enable sectoral growth, provide us with the necessary resources to drive innovation, expand our game portfolio, elevate the gaming experience and develop gamer communities,” the Chairman and Director for Yudiz Solutions Limited, Bharat Patel, said. “It will also enable us to forge strategic partnerships, attract top talent and cement our position as strong contenders in the space.”
With an EBITDA of 21.77% for FY 22-23 and a CAGR of 42.34% for the past three years, Yudiz Solutions Limited also had a PAT of INR 2.75 CR in FY 22-23. With the recently approved DRHP the company will offload a public issue consisting of a fresh 27,17,600 equity shares.
Yudiz Solutions Limited is headquartered in Ahmedabad and recognized as a global IT service providing solutions in AI/ML, AR/VR and IoT as well as blockchain, mobile app and web development across North America, Europe and Asia. Yudiz Solutions Limited is set to disrupt the market with its innovative solutions and products. MPL, Zydus, RR Kabel, IRM Energy, SportsBuzz are some of its clients.
Africa
KingMakers goes live with EveryMatrix CasinoEngine

KingMakers’ betting brand BetKing, has gone live with CasinoEngine, giving Nigerian players access to the industry’s largest casino content library through a single integration.
EveryMatrix’s iGaming platform will aim to significantly grow BetKing into a world-class, multi vertical, digital entertainment experience with access to an ever-growing portfolio of thousands of best performing games.
BetKing will also integrate JackpotEngine and BonusEngine to further boost the gaming experience through flexible and configurable jackpot customisation and a variety of industry-leading player reward and bonus management features.
Nigeria’s total onshore online betting and gaming gross win for 2023 is estimated to be €560 million, according to H2 Gambling Capital, with the onshore market predicted to double in three years.
Stian Enger, Head of CasinoEngine, EveryMatrix, said: “The sky’s the limit in terms of potential for BetKing and we’re very excited to go live and accelerate the brand’s casino growth in the months and years to come.
“The brand has leading sports betting market share and I’m confident that in a short space of time the same will be said for casino thanks to the power of CasinoEngine and its best-in-class acquisition and retention capabilities.”
Lauren Holder, Head of Gaming at KingMakers, said: “From signing the deal six months ago to go live has been a very smooth process and it’s been a pleasure working with our partners at EveryMatrix.
“The Nigerian and wider iGaming African market is an area we believe has huge promise and, together with EveryMatrix’s leading productivity platform and the wide variety of flexible content options and revenue boosting functionality it offers, we believe the opportunities are endless.”
Africa
IAGR Opens Registrations for 2023 Conference in Botswana

The International Association of Gaming Regulator (IAGR) has opened registrations for its annual conference, taking place in Gaborone, Botswana, from 16 to 19 October.
With the theme “Bringing ideas together: The exchange of excellence and innovation in regulatory practice,” this year’s event is hosted by the Botswana Gambling Authority.
“IAGR 2023 is a four-day event for IAGR members and industry thought leaders, bringing together regulators, industry leaders, and experts to share ideas and shape the future of gaming regulation worldwide,” Jason Lane, President of IAGR, said.
The conference follows last year’s sell-out event in Melbourne, Australia.
“We are honoured to host IAGR 2023 in Botswana and look forward to welcoming our global peers from around the world to our beautiful country,” Peter Kesitilwe, CEO of the Botswana Gambling Authority, said.
“We’re committed to ensuring that all participants have a rewarding and memorable experience.”
IAGR has announced two speakers and topics for the conference, with more to follow in the coming weeks.
- Earle G. Hall – Chairman, International Gaming Standards Association & CEO, AXES.ai: “Artificial intelligence will transform our industry”
- Andrew Rhodes – CEO, United Kingdom Gambling Commission: “Impact of the Gambling Act Review”
Early-bird pricing is available until 15 June.
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