By mid-July 2026, two significant intellectual property reforms in East Africa had moved into sharper focus. Tanzania’s Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2026 remains under legislative consideration and proposes coordinated changes to the Trade and Service Marks Act and the Patents (Registration) Act. The draft would recognise ARIPO trade marks designating Tanzania, strengthen protection for well-known, collective and certification marks, extend the patent term from ten years to twenty years from filing, and reinforce the utility model framework. If adopted in its current form, the package could reduce duplicate filings and close long-standing gaps between regional rights and domestic enforceability, although businesses should still wait for the final text, commencement date and implementing rules.
Uganda has moved further. Parliament passed a major amendment to the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act in March 2026, followed by presidential assent. The revised regime raises penalties, introduces online takedown and access-blocking orders administered through the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, and incorporates accessible-format exceptions linked to the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty. Rights holders, streaming services, social platforms and distributors should now review licence duration, ownership records, notice-handling procedures and electronic evidence retention. The two reforms are not identical, but together they show East Africa shifting from basic recognition of rights toward stronger regional and digital enforcement. That is not the same as legal harmonisation; country-by-country compliance remains essential.
