The Nigerian Copyright Commission, (NCC) is committed to providing adequate capacity building for its staff to empower them to carry out their statutory responsibilities as regulatory and enforcement officer in implementation of the Copyright Act.
Director-General of NCC, Mr. John Ohi Asein, stated this in Abuja yesterday (24th July 2019) while declaring open a two-day National Workshop on Broadcast Piracy and Strategic Management Meeting with State Coordinators, organised by the Commission in collaboration with Multichoice Nigeria Limited.
He indicated that the Commission was determined to provide staff with necessary technical knowledge and facilities to enhance copyright protection in the country.
The Director-General said the National Workshop was organised for copyright officers to gain relevant knowledge on broadcast piracy and issues revolving around it.
Mr. Asein stressed that protection of creativity was essential to avoid a situation where the country’s creative potentials would be mismanaged by the activities of pirates.
He cautioned that inability to protect the country’s creative works could create a negative impact on Nigeria’s creative industry which at the moment is rated among the top three in the world.
The Head of Regulatory, Multichoice Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gozie Onumonu, stated that the broadcast sector was critical to the development of a vibrant film industry in the country which necessitated frequent dialogue on finding ways of protecting broadcast content.
Mr. Onumonu emphasised that stemming piracy was difficult but a continuous effort was necessary to curb the menace, adding that the workshop would provide a platform for exploring ways of tackling the problem of broadcast piracy in the country.
Mr. A. Frikkie Jonker of IRDETO, a world leader in Digital Security, spoke on the topic, “Internet Streaming: Piracy as it Affects Broadcasting Industry Worldwide”.
The digital security expert noted that it was important to protect creativity in the digital sphere which has over the years been challenged by the activities of pirates.
Mr. Jonker called for collaboration among relevant stakeholders towards ensuring that the menace was eradicated. He decried the poor institutional response to issues of broadcast piracy, which has impacted negatively on the country’s economy. He proffered a ‘teach-them-young’ approach to curbing piracy by inculcating the ideals of respect for copyright in youths.
He noted that the problem was global in nature, adding that his experience in Nigeria and the researches carried out have shown that digital piracy has been a prevalent activity in the country.
Speaking on “Internet Streaming and Counter Measures-Paradigms Across the World”, Mr. B. Barrie Coll, Senior Manager, Cyber Security, examined and commended the Internet security measures put in place by IRDETO in collaboration with Multichoice. He added that the measures could be employed by different organisations to check the menace of broadcast piracy in the country.
The Workshop was attended by NCC Management Staff, all State Coordinators and some enforcement and prosecution officers of the Commission drawn from across the country. Other participants included Mr. Umar Abdullaziz, Anti-piracy Manager, Multichoice; Ms. Tanya Hill of the US Department of Justice and the staff of NCC Enforcement and Prosecution Departments at the Headquarters.
Vincent A. Oyefeso
Director, Public Affairs
For: Director General
PICTORIAL CAPTIONS ON A 2-DAY NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON BROADCAST PIRACY ORGANISED BY NIGERIAN COPYRIGHT COMMISSION (NCC) IN COLLABORATION WITH MULTICHOICE NIGERIA LTD
A 2-day National Workshop on Broadcast Piracy organised by Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) in Collaboration with Multichoice Nigeria Ltd held at the Chelsea Hotel, Wuse 2, Abuja. Below are captions of photographs on the occasion:
