Taking Copyright Campaign To PH Streets

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) last week took to the streets within Rumuola and Aba Road areas of Port Harcourt to enlighten the populace about issues on copyright.
The campaign which turned into a sensitisation programme was to mark the World Intellectual Property Day which is observed every 26th of April worldwide.
Staffers and officers of the NCC Zonal Office in Port Harcourt had to march to the streets to enlighten members of the public on the need to secure and utilise their creative works.
Rivers State Acting State Coordinator, Mr. Joseph Ojika said this year’s theme, “Youth: Innovation For A Better Future” targets the youth.
He said, “Nigeria is fortunate to have a very talented, innovative and energetic youth population that has excelled in virtually all spheres of endeavours”.
With many youths now into the music industry, Ojika said there is need to sensitise them to know how to reap from their talents, reasoning that it is not enough to record music and expect it to bring returns from the market and promotion.
Today, many youths have turned into millionaires as a result of sales and marketing of their recording talents.
Some of the youths include Rivers State-born, Burna Boy; Whizkid; Timaya; and Davido. Said Ojika, “These creative young persons are leaving their marks on international scene.”
A recent global report shows Nigeria among the top five African countries having the most developed start up ecosystem while Lagos was named as the number one start up city in Africa.
Said he, “In order to help these young persons turn their raw talents to protected innovations and creativity, it is important that they understand the technology, the business and the legal framework, especially the benefits of the intellectual property system.”
As far as he was concerned, youths must imbibe a culture of respect for the rights of others, use the IP system as a catalyst for growth and enforce their rights against predators.
It is against this backdrop that he said the campaign was being taken to the streets, as staffers of NCC were busy sharing handbills to passers-by.
The NCC state coordinator said once an individual is able to know his copyright, then, he or she can utilise his or her creative work to better the society.
So how can the youths tap from their creative works?
The NCC official explained to newsmen after the street procession that creative works cover all recorded works like audio, music, art works or drawings, patents, trademarks, books and any material made by any individual from his creative mind.
Failure to register such works and get a legal cover, Ojika explained makes the work vulnerable for someone else to use it to make money.
Few days before the copyright day, the NCC had in collaboration with the National Library commemorated the World Book Day.
The State Deputy Director of National Library, Mr. Kingsley Egbulonu harped on the need for authors to protect their works from piracy.
Egbulonu said books fall under intellectual property such that anybody caught pirating books that are legally covered is liable to face the law.
Asked what authors should do to protect their books from piracy, Egbulonu said, “Act 29 of 1970 of National Library law empowers authors to send at least three copies of their books. These books are called literary works and they include music, tables, charts, dramatic works, newspapers and periodicals.”
The National Library official noted that once these copies are deposited, they are called legal deposits and they serve as records.
He added, “Legal deposits are only true copies to be admitted in law courts and such services are provided by the National Library.”
Meanwhile, the NCC has taken its intellectual property campaign to schools and universities.
Against this backdrop, it developed a model IP policy for Nigerian universities such that students and researchers are put on sustainable use of intellectual property.
It is expected that with this innovation, youth creators that include musicians, authors and other innovators will exploit this opportunity to protect their works from being poached and pirated by those with criminal intention.