Nigeria commits to Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances

Nigeria, in the ongoing reform of its copyright system, is taking steps towards the domestication of the provisions of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which came into force on April 28, 2020. Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) Mr John O. Asein disclosed this in his opening remarks at a webinar with theme, ‘Strengthening […]

Nigeria, in the ongoing reform of its copyright system, is taking steps towards the domestication of the provisions of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which came into force on April 28, 2020.

Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) Mr John O. Asein disclosed this in his opening remarks at a webinar with theme, ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Creative Sector through Improved Rights for Artists and Performers’, to mark the coming into force of the treaty.

Expressing concern over the loss of revenue in the audiovisual industry, he assured that the commission would work with the guilds, associations and collective management organisation in the industry to develop appropriate mechanisms to ensure greater return on creative investment.

He noted that such interventions would necessitate looking into various aspects of the industry, including engagement contracts, distribution bottlenecks, online abuses and rights management issues.

The director-general reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to improving the protection available to audiovisual performers, especially “in today’s digital environment where copyright works are easily retransmitted on various online platforms often without recourse to the right owners or the performers.”

Noting that Nigeria’s film industry ranked among the top three in the world, he however expressed worry that the ranking has not translated to real economic benefit or enhanced the status for the performers “who stand before the lights and cameras transforming scripts to action”.