TITLE:
Appraising the Impact of the Nigerian Copyright Act and Regulations in Combating Piracy in Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Uchechukwu Uguru, Moses C. Umobong
KEYWORDS:
Copyrights, Piracy, Regulation, Internet, Digital Piracy, Copyright Commission, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
Beijing Law Review,
Vol.13 No.2,
May
5,
2022
ABSTRACT: Copyright Piracy is pervasive in Nigeria and consequently, it has affected the fortunes of copyright owners. The Copyright Act provides for anti-piracy measures in section 25 of the Act, which empowers the Nigerian Copyright Commission to make regulations to combat menace. Based on this power, the Copyright Commission has made regulations and adopted various measures to combat copyright piracy in Nigeria. This paper examined the impact of the Copyright Act anti-piracy measures and the copyright regulations on the war against piracy in Nigeria. It was found that the anti-piracy measures provisions of the Copyright Act and the regulations made pursuant to the Act have impacted positively on the fight against piracy particularly in the music and film industries where the Commission has successfully deployed litigation to hold violators accountable. Despite the positive impact, the paper also found that the efforts of the Commission to prevent piracy are inadequate, especially in the area of online/internet piracy where the Commission has not developed measures to prevent breach of copyright in the music industry. The paper recommended amongst others the strengthening of the anti-piracy measures under the Copyright Act and the proper training and equipment of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to enforce the Copyright Act.