In its bids to put in place measures to protect creative works, the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has created the Nigerian e-Copyright Registration System (NeCRS).
The platform is created for documentation of copyright works of qualified persons from any part of the world. It is part of the responsibility of the NCC to maintain an effective data bank on copyright authors and their works.
The sustenance of the creative industry is facing a serious threat as a result of piracy.
Speaking with the Niggerian Tribune at the weekend at the launch of NeCRS, the Director-General (DG) of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr Afam Ezekude, stated that Nigeria could not afford to carry the toga of a nation of pirates as it grappled with the task of transforming the fortunes of its citizenry.
Warning those who were still engaged in the illegal act of piracy and against copyright works, he said the days of free riding were over.
Ezekude said: “We have progressively up-scaled our anti-piracy activities since January 2011, which has led to the arrest of 403 suspected infringers, seizure of over six million pirated goods, including 19 containers of pirated books, CDs and DVDs of local and foreign authors, from various seaports across the country with a street value of more than N7.02 billion.
“Moreso, between January 2011 and June 2014, NCC has secured conviction in 52 cases, while 172 cases are at various stages of trial. Very recently, the Federal High Court, sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, delivered a judgment in a criminal trial that was initiated by NCC, where the accused person was sentenced to 18 months in prison without option of fine, after full trial of the case on merit.”
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, represented by a Senior Special Assistant, Mrs Victoria Mbu, stated that NeRCS would enhance not only the protection of rights of Nigerian authors, but had the potential of exposing their works to global attention and, therefore, afford them the opportunity of earning foreign income from exploitation of the works
Commenting at the launch, stakeholders applauded the initiatives and encouraged that they would give their support to the NCC whenever needed.
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