19/10/2026
COPYRIGHT IN STREAMING
1. What is streaming as relates to Copyright?
Streaming is the continuous transmission of audio and/or audiovisual works over a computer network with little or no intermediate storage. It is playing audio and/or audiovisual files on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone in real time from a website or a Digital Service Provider (DSPs) platforms or applications at the same time as the files are transferred across a network. Examples of DSPs include Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify, Boomplay etc.
2. What is the difference between streaming, downloading and file sharing?
• Ordinarily, when streaming even though there could be a temporally copy of the audio or audiovisual work that may be created, there is no copy that is stored at the user's end.
• When downloading, a copy of the work is made and stored at the user’s end.
• File sharing is a way of making files available on a network for others to copy.
3. What rights are involved in streaming
Streaming involves rights that are exclusively held by the author of the work. They include the following rights:
*Right to distribute
*Right of making available to the public
*Right to reproduction
*Right to adaptations
