By Anthony Ada Abraham and Tunde Oguntola
In this piece, ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM and TUNDE OGUNTOLA examine the activities of pirates in Nigeria and how piracy has been wrecking the entertainment industry against the background of calls from stakeholders to curb the menace.
The greatest resource and bedrock of every civilisation is its creativity, innovation and invention. All these boost the economy of a nation. Creativity of a nation, Nigeria inclusive, is protected by the copyright Law. The goal of copyright protection is to encourage dissemination of information, provide employment and economic benefit to the owner, and reserve the ownership of the right in it to the creator of the work. But this right has been constantly bastardised and infringed upon by unauthorised acts of reproduction and distribution on a commercial scale, called piracy. Piracy is a menace that has negatively impacted on Nigerian economic, social and political wellbeing.
Piracy is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian society. It is a clog in the wheel of the production and growth of copyrighted works, for it has led to counterfeiting and fake products, which has contributed in no small measure to intellectual property theft and this has affected negatively the goodwill of the original creator of a work. In Nigeria today, piracy hits all sectors of copyright industry, but the worst hit is the entertainment industry, hence one of the greatest challenges facing the Nigerian entertainment industry is piracy, which has robbed the industry of billions of naira (Nwogu 2014). Kanayo (2013) as cited in Alakam (2014) is agitated by the fact that pirates are feeding fat literarily and figuratively on creative works at the expense of the proposed beneficiaries of the work. He noted that the wealth of Nollywood is judged not only on its past works but on the substance that is coming from the industry in contemporary times. Today, several incidences of piracy abound in various subject matter of copyright throughout the whole world, and Nigeria in particular. They include; software piracy, cinematography film piracy, music piracy and book piracy.
To show his support for the fight against piracy in Nigeria at the 28th annual international conference of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA), held in collaboration with the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), with the theme ‘Repositioning Nollywood for the Promotion of Nigeria’s Cultural Diplomacy & National Security,’ designed to explore the linkages between Nollywood and cultural diplomacy as a tool for addressing the current security challenges, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to clampdown on piracy in Nollywood industry by empowering relevant agencies, even as he described it as an albatross to both practitioners and government.
He said that there was need to diversify the economy in the face of the dwindling oil prices, saying that Nollywood requires the attention of the federal government due to its enormous contribution to the economy and creation of employment for millions of Nigerians. Buhari regretted that excessive exposure to foreign films have led to moral decadence and the erosion of cultural values, especially among the youths, and expressed optimism that through the industry these lost cultural values would be restored.
According to him, in view of the popularity Nollywood films enjoy globally, this national asset can be used to project and promote our rich cultural heritage internationally to make Nigeria attractive for tourists and direct foreign investors. The president, represented by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Mrs Nkechi Ejele, solicited the support of key stakeholders like Nollywood in highlighting the enormous socio-economic, political, and other benefits of living in peace, unity and harmony.
Piracy, A Monstrous Disincentive- Lai Mohammed
The minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed described piracy as a “monstrous disincentive” to the movie industry and indeed the entire arts and entertainment industry, suggesting that a longer jail term with no option of fine for convicted offenders and the establishment of a dedicated national task force on piracy could help curb the scourge.
Alhaji Mohammed was speaking during the 2016 Kannywood
Awards in the nation’s capital, Abuja. He stated that the Federal Government will no longer condole piracy in the country. According to him, “I am told that a recent study revealed that there are 8 pirated works to two original works out of every ten works you find in the market. This is totally unacceptable! This administration is determined to fight this scourge, and indeed we have started fighting it. Between the times we held the roundtable in Lagos and today, three alleged pirates have been arrested by the police. There is no better evidence of our commitment to fighting piracy than this.”
The minister promised to work with the stakeholders in the movie industry to tackle the challenges bedeviling the sector, including piracy, distribution, funding, and the re-organisation of the regulatory agencies.
Jide Kosoko, Others Task NCC On Piracy
Some Nollywood practitioners have continued to add their voices on the issues of piracy in Nigeria while urging the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), to do more to protect the intellectual property rights of artistes in the entertainment industry.
Veteran thespian Jide Kosoko said that the NCC ought to review some of its policies and laws to make them stiffer for offenders. Stressing that some laws by the commission were weak, thereby giving room for criminals to carry out their unlawful activities. “The commission should make the laws stiffer for copyright offenders.They should also set up anti-piracy squad within the commission to assist it in discharging its duties effectively,” the actor said.
He explained that entertainment practitioners had over the time appealed for support against the piracy scourge but to no avail.
He said the commission must be adequately funded and with the requisite personnel to make an appreciable impact against piracy phenomenon.
In the same vein, Moji Olaiya, an actress, urged the NCC to go all-out to arrest and prosecute those that are engaged in copyright infringement.
Olaiya added that by so doing the nefarious act would be curbed.
“Pirates are the major obstacle affecting the development of the industry.
“If the punishment given to copyright offenders are stiffer, it will reduce the activities of pirates in the industry,” Olaiya said.
Masterminds Of Video Pirates Nabbed In Lagos:
In a bold attempt at tackling the piracy scourge in the country, security operatives have nabbed two masterminds of video piracy. The pirates, John Abba and
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