The new copyright law in Nigeria is filling important gaps in today\u2019s digital content age and will be useful to combat online piracy and loss of revenue especially in Nollywood, an intellectual property law expert, Prof. Samuel Andrews, says.<\/P>
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Nollywood employs more than a million people directly or indirectly, making the sector Nigeria\u2019s second largest employer after agriculture. In 2022, Nollywood\u2019s contribution to Nigeria\u2019s GDP stood at 0.1%.<\/P>
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It is Africa\u2019s most successful film industry and the third largest globally after Hollywood and Bollywood in terms of the number of movies produced annually.<\/P>
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In a new paper for The Conversation, Andrews, a U.S Ambassador\u2019s Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Intellectual Property Law, lauded the new copyright law and praised its coverage of contemporary piracy issues faced by creators in the Nigerian entertainment space.<\/P>
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According to him, the new law has the potential to create stability and predictability in industries like Nollywood. This is a positive step towards a more diversified national economy \u2013 and economic growth.<\/P>
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on March 17, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Copyright Bill, 2022. This Act, known as the Copyright Act of 2023, repeals the Copyright Act of 2004.<\/P>
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Among other key issues, the new law recognises and protects creative works that are based on current digital productive technologies.<\/P>
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It covers films, music, performances, literary works and performances enabled by the internet and wireless devices through streaming techniques, uploads, hyperlinks and air-drops.<\/P>
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The new copyright law includes a \u201csafe harbour\u201d provision which protects Nollywood entrepreneurs from unnecessary legal suits.<\/P>
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As Andrews explained in the paper, \u201cfor example, online service provider business is an emerging technology that requires huge investment and is vulnerable to illegal actions.<\/P>
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\u201cPeople upload unauthorised content on an online platform and this can result in lawsuits which affect investors in this sector.<\/P>
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\u201dThe safe harbour comes with responsibility on the part of the online service provider: it must quickly remove unauthorised content and must not benefit financially from it,\u201d Andrews stated.<\/P>
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He said the new law also gives copyright owners ways to resolve disputes over ownership of online content without necessarily going to court.<\/P>
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Speaking further about execution, Andrews noted that it will be important to allow the courts to do their job.<\/P>
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He explained that trying to settle disputes through the Nigerian Copyright Commission \u2013 which is a new option \u2013 could complicate and prolong the litigation.<\/P>
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Andrews said this might discourage investment in the creative industry.<\/P>
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Source: News Agency of Nigeria<\/P>
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