Piracy: Nigeria loses almost N1trn annually – Commission
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/04/piracy-nigeria-loses-almost-n1trn.html
The Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC) on Friday disclosed that
Nigeria was losing three billion dollars (N918 trillion) annually to
activities of pirates.
Director-General (DG) of the commission, Mr John Asein, made the
disclosure at the 2019 World Intellectual Property Day with the theme,
`Reach for Gold’: IP and Sports,’’ held in Abuja.
Asein, represented by the Director, Legal Services, Mr Abdul
TerKohol, urged government to put adequate, responsive and effective
legal frameworks for the protection and enforcement of sporting and
associated industries rights.
He said with the advent of new technologies, the task of sport-related copyright had become more daunting.
The DG also noted that the expansion of high-speed internet around
the world, the proliferation of portable devices and the rise of online
streaming platforms, had made tackling illegal exploitation of rights
more difficult.
“Thousands of websites that illegally stream sporting and entertainment content in real time threaten the copyright in content.
“For full potential of the sporting ad associated industries to be
realised, countries must put in place adequate, responsive and effective
legal frameworks for the protection, administration and enforcement of
rights.
“The intellectual property system, especially copyright, offers a practical and effective mechanism for achieving this.’’
According to Asein, intellectual property, particularly copyright,
lies at the heart of the commercial exploitation of sports and
contributes substantially to the growth of a community of players and
fans whose net worth is more than 300 billion dollars.
He said that Nigeria occupied a unique place in the world of sports
given its exploits and remarkable successes in various sporting events.
He urged stakeholders to continue to support government in its
determination to build a functional copyright system that would deliver
the expected dividends to right owners and guarantee sustainable
development of sports.
Asein also advised beneficiaries from the intellectual property
system to commit some of their earnings to rebuilding infrastructure
required to keep the system functional.
He said the commission was prepared to collaborate with interested
stakeholders to promote respect for intellectual property and complement
government’s commitment to growing human capital in today’s
knowledge-driven economy.
Director, Public Affairs of the commission, Mr Chukwuemeka Ngene,
said the significance of the day was to raise global awareness on the
nature, contribution and importance of intellectual property.