Nollywood Affairs | 9 July 2010 06:52 CET

Regulatory Bodies Team Up Against Piracy

By Atika Balal

In a bid to protect intellectual property across the country, regulatory agencies have decided to collaborate on issues bordering on piracy, content development, enforcement and capacity building, Director General Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Adebambo Adewopo has said.

The agencies are NCC, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and Nigeria Film and Video Censorship Board (NFVCB).

Speaking on behalf of the group when they paid a visit to the Minister of Information and Communications Monday, Adewopo said the collaboration is aimed at salvaging the entertainment industry, particularly the music industry.

While calling on Nigerians to join in the fight against piracy, he described piracy as a socio cultural and economic problem in country that no government can eliminate alone.

"There is no government all over the world that can fight piracy alone, so every Nigerian must be ready to fight. We are providing our common resources and mandate to ensure that we provide the needed support for the industry," he said.

Responding, Professor Dora Akunyili decried the high rate of piracy and what the lack of a uniformed national standard has done to property owners and the industry.

She said if the potentials of the industry are properly harnessed it will become a major foreign exchange earner and described the collaboration as a good step for the nation's rebranding project which will boost the country's image.

Other sites The Nigerian Voice