Vipi wadau?
My bro, about 4 years ago, in trying to nukisha kitunguu brokered an aSc timetable sale to a certain school in our locality. He was duly issued with the activation keys from the supposed supplier. He was paid his cut and forgot all about it until last week when he called me in distress.
He’s told me some fellows from Nairobi who claim to be the intellectual property holders of the software visited the school claiming that the software is pirated. I tried looking for the company website but it was not in existence. They had provided the school with a copy of their Kenya Copyright Board registration form. On checking out the form, I found out that the number provided isn’t in existence, but their application was still being processed. He can’t reach the person who supplied the activation keys.
My questions are:
- Can one claim intellectual property for software made by someone outside the country? If yes, can he/ she enforce compliance on the same even when the application is being processed at KECOBO? If no, isn’t it illegal to claim someone else’s property?
- Can anyone claim to be the sole distributors of a software that can be activated online?
- How can he remedy the situation if indeed he was in the wrong?
Feedback appreciated.