Dawnbell loses Copyright fight
Dawn Bell Academy lost a legal battle against the Copyright Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) regarding unpaid licensing fees for copyrighted materials. The court affirmed COSBOTS' authority to collect fees under national and international copyright laws.
Why it matters
The ruling reinforces the legal standing of collective management organizations in protecting intellectual property rights within Botswana's educational sector.
Dawn Bell Academy has lost, with costs, a case in which it was challenging a P38,276.64 licensing fees claim brought by the Copyright Society of Botswana (COSBOTS).
Mogoditshane Chief Magistrate Gofaone Morweng upheld an exception against the academy’s defence, entered final judgment for COSBOTS and awarded it costs. The ruling was delivered on 21 September 2026.
COSBOTS sued in December 2025 over licensing for the reproduction and use of copyright-protected literary and image works. It filed summons on 15 December 2025 and served the Academy the following month.
The Academy, which is owned by pastor, entrepreneur and transformation speaker Ndiko Muzila, defended the claim and requested further particulars, including whose works had allegedly been copied and what had been reproduced.
It denied using copyrighted works belonging to Botswana authors and publishers, and challenged COSBOTS’ jurisdiction over works, authors and publishers outside Botswana.
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