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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Minister tasks NCC over piracy of intellectual propertiesIHUOMA CHIEDOZIE, abujaTHE Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC) has been challenged to be more aggressive in combating the alarming rate of piracy of intellectual properties in the country. Addressing newsmen at the weekend, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Frank Ogbuewu described piracy as the �second biggest evil factor working against Nigeria�s international image after Advance Fee fraud, otherwise known as 419.� Ogbuewu specifically charged the NCC �to do exactly what the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is doing in the fight against fake drugs and substandard goods. He advised the NCC to take the fight to the perpetrators of the evil act, which he blamed for the dearth of serious writing and publishing in the country today,� because no author or musician, or a publisher or a recording studio will be encouraged to continue if just days after launching his product, you see fake copies in the market.� The minister said the nation�s copyright problem was a factor restricting the attraction of foreign investors. He commended the discovery and arrest of some pirates believed to be Chinese nationals in Lagos, and called on the immigration agency, the police and specifically the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle the case thoroughly so as not only to fish out others involved in the offence but also unravel the brains behind the activities. He expressed the opinion that the quality of equipment those suspected pirates used in dubbing electronic products which worth millions of naira suggested a highly organised chain. According to him, investigations had so far showed that the gang had branches in Kano, Aba, Port Harcourt and Onitsha. For the Nigerian Copyrights Commission to be effective, Ogbuewu solicited the support and cooperation of Nigerians particularly in the provision of information on suspected pirates and their activities, adding that the Lagos raid could not have been possible without a tip off to the police.
Monday, July 19, 2004 |
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