Piracy would no longer be profitable -DG NCC

What is the vision and mission of the Nigerian Copyright Commission under your watch?Our vision is to harness the potentials of creativity for national development while the mission is to advance the growth of the creative industry in Nigeria through the dissemination of copyright knowledge, efficient administration and protection of rights.Has the NCC being able […]

What is the vision and mission of the Nigerian Copyright Commission under your watch?
Our vision is to harness the potentials of creativity for national development while the mission is to advance the growth of the creative industry in Nigeria through the dissemination of copyright knowledge, efficient administration and protection of rights.
Has the NCC being able to meet up with its mandate?
To a very large extent we have been able to fulfill our mandate. The primary mandate of the commission is enforcement and prosecution of copyright offenders and in those two key mandates we have done a significant lot. We have had a very good working relationship with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), which has led to the seizure of over 20 containers which is unprecedented in the history of this commission. The collaboration between the NCS and NCC has yielded very fruitful results in the last four years.
In terms of prosecution, our activities have been up scaled. Before I joined the commission four years ago, we did not have up to 10 convictions for the 22 years of the establishment of this commission. Now we have so far recorded 53 convictions and some of these convictions are not just a slap on the wrist of the offenders but severe prison sentences for copyright offences. We intend to continue to prosecute copyright offenders.
In the course of enforcement, has the NCC suffered any casualty?
We had challenges in terms of enforcement especially when we go out to carry out raids, our men have been attacked on few occasions. But in some cases we are overwhelmed by the mob that we confront especially in a market situation where the market traders come out in full force against our officers and in some cases we have suffered some causalities but not fatal. We have got to realise that this is a risky job. When you go to places like Alaba International Market in Lagos, you don’t expect that you are going to have an easy ride because these people see this kind of piracy as a way of life and they are ready to do anything to protect their so-called means of livelihood. But we have a job to do and we will continue to do our best against offenders so that the copyright owners can reap the fruits of their work and investment.
What advice do you have for the pirates out there?
The pirates should know that in the last four years it has not been easy for them and the next four years while I remain in charge, we are going to ensure that we make their lives absolute hell. So my advice for them is to find another job because the people at the NCC are more serious than ever before to make sure that copyright owners are protected and the owners of copyrights get the benefits of their talents and investments so pirates should beware.
What is the relationship between the NCC mandate and high level development policy initiatives of the federal government?
The importance of the commission lies in its commitment to instituting a viable copyright system compatible with international best practices and one that would ensure that owners of works protected by copyright and other investors in the copyright-based industries derive maximum economic benefits from their investments of time, energy, talent and money in creative productions for overall national economic development. Suffice it to state that by their very nature, the copyright-based industries situate right at the heart of efforts of government at poverty reduction, wealth creation and employment generation and tally with objectives of Vision 202020, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The linkage has been driven by the commission on the basis of the fact that a sound copyright regime facilitates development through foreign direct investment, job creation, access to knowledge, information, transfer of technology, trade, services, domestic innovation as well as research and development.
The position of the commission is further reinforced by the fact that nations are now obligated under multilateral, bilateral as well as regional trade and investment agreements to demonstrate mutual commitments to implement intellectual property regimes (including copyright) that reflect international standard.
Specifically what is your enforcement profile?
The commission carried out the public burning of 722,000, 000 units of pirated copyright works and contrivances estimated at N6, 500,000,000, comprising literary, musical, film works and contrivances, including those from the broadcast industries, which were confiscated between 2007-2011. The purpose was to demonstrate the commission’s commitment to zero tolerance policy on piracy and send a warning signal that piracy would no longer be a profitable venture.
We conducted 235 anti-piracy surveillances in piracy endemic locations across the country. The commission carried out 201 strategic anti-piracy operations against book, software, broadcast, film and music piracy in different infamous piracy hotbeds across Nigeria, including Alaba International Market, Computer Village Ikeja, Ajegunle, Ojuelegba and Ijora in Lagos State ; Ariara Market Aba, Abia State; Ochanja Market, electronic market, and upper Iweka Market  in Onitsha, Anambra State; as well as other markets in FCT Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross Rivers, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, Zamfara, Plateau, and so on. We arrested 443 suspected pirates.
We have removed 6,081,384 assorted pirated copyright works, comprising of books, software, DVDs, VCDs, CDs, MP3, and so on, from different piracy outlets and seaports across Nigeria with estimated market value of N6, 423,221,600. This value of the materials removed in the course of the anti-piracy operations, represents income that would have been lost by government and copyright owners across the country to people who indulge in the criminal and nefarious act of copyright piracy.
As well as the unprecedented confiscation of a total number of twenty (20) 40ft./20ft. containers of infringing DVDs, VCDs and books of foreign and local titles at different seaports across the country, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service.
What are your major challenges?
The core challenges of the commission are the increasing cost of overhead operations against drastic reduction of budgetary allocations of the commission, inadequate human and institutional capacity, low level of awareness arising from lack of funds to execute public enlightenment campaign, lack of office accommodation, communication facilities, and insufficient operational vehicles as well as rising cost of prosecution.