Safaricom wins copyright infringement claim against innovator
regarding a mobile software application he submitted eight years ago. Solut
Technology alleged that Safaricom exploited his idea for the Wavu
application after rejecting it, launching a similar app called Thibitisha
instead.
High Court Judge Freda Mugambi dismissed the claim, stating that copyright
law protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves. The judge
noted that the innovator failed to provide source code or evidence that
Safaricom had access to his application. She emphasized that protecting
mere ideas could hinder creativity and innovation.
The court also highlighted that the innovator had uploaded his idea to
Safaricom’s Zindua Café, which granted the company unrestricted rights to
submissions, and noted that he did not secure his program before
submission. The ruling indicates that while similarities in concepts may
exist, determining copyright infringement requires evidence of similar
expressions of those ideas.
www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/innovator-loses-copyright-infringement-claim-against-safaricom-4784544
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Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya
www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva