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THE Nigeria Copyright Commission is committed to stamping out piracy and stealing of intellectual properties in the country. Vincent Oyefeso, director, public affairs of the commission, declared that the Copyright Commission had zero tolerance for piracy; saying that was the reason the commission decided to fight the scourge to finish.
Oyesfeso, who spoke at the 30th anniversary of the commission in Kwara State, noted that piracy not only destroys the owner of the artistic and intellectual property, but also kills the economy of the country. “The Commission is not just a compliance agency, it has the power to arrest and prosecute anybody caught pirating other people’s intellectual properties,” he said.
According to Oyefeso, the Commission was established on August 18, 1989 via Copyright Act 28, LFN 2004. He said copyright owners could institute civil suit against copyright offenders, apart from the criminal suit the commission normally institute against such offenders.
On her part, Justina Akinwumi, coordinator, NCC in Kwara State, said the anniversary was to celebrate creativity. “We are here to champion the cause of economic diversification in Nigeria through creativity. The commission operates through surveillances, inspections, raids, investigations and diligent prosecution of suspected copyright offenders,” she said.
According to Akinwumi, the Commission has achieved a lot over the years, adding that the management of the commission, led by John Asein, director-general, has vowed to consolidate on previous achievements and rebrand for better performance. The coordinator, however, identified poor legal framework, piracy, porous border, poor education system as major threats to the actualisation of NCC’s dream.
“For us to defeat these monsters that have been preventing the creative sector from contributing its quota to economic development in Nigeria, all hands must be on deck. We must all be ready to take the cause of creativity in Nigeria to the next level.
“As we gather here today, let us come together and fight the monster called piracy so as to have a clean and decent society. Let us all partner together, be on guard and guide against piracy.”
– Nov. 8, 2019 @ 17:12 GMT |
Tags: Copyright Commission expresses commitment to stamp out piracy in Nigeria
