An innovator has lost a copyright infringement claim against Safaricom 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.

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/innovator-loses-copyright-infringement-claim-against-safaricom-4784544