Abuja: Dr. John Asein, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has called on industry stakeholders to unite in protecting Nigeria’s digital space against copyright infringement, criminality, and economic sabotage. Asein made this call during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja aimed at developing strategies to address online copyright piracy in Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the initiative is part of the ‘Development Agenda Programme of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’ (WIPO), which links intellectual property with broader sustainable development goals in member states. Asein highlighted that while digital technologies have unlocked opportunities for the creative and innovation sectors, they have also introduced challenges such as online piracy.
The NCC director-general noted the rapid emergence of sites with statistics showing a 6.7% increase in user visits. A significant percentage of users are students aged between 18 and 24, with social media and messaging platforms becoming major gateways for accessing pirated content. The most affected sectors include television (43.6%), publishing (27.5%), film (12.9%), music (7.0%), and software (6.2%).
Asein warned that online piracy threatens the livelihoods of creators and businesses, linking it to other financial crimes and national security threats. He stressed the need for strategies and tools for effective copyright management and enforcement in the digital environment. The NCC plans to boost its campaign against online piracy and protect Nigeria’s digital market and creative economy over the next 36 months.
The initiative will focus on public education, capacity building, investment in modern detection tools, and inter-agency collaboration for rapid response to complaints. Nigeria’s modern Copyright Act allows for the takedown of infringing materials and blocking of offending websites, emphasizing inter-agency cooperation and citizen participation.
Dr. Tobias Bednarz of WIPO noted that Nigeria, along with Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, was chosen for the project, which has a budget of 500,000 francs. The project aims to enhance legislative and infrastructural frameworks and improve skills for online copyright enforcement.
Michael Akpan, an IP expert, highlighted that piracy in Nigeria predates the digital age, with traditional forms such as copying and distributing works now evolving due to the internet’s architecture. The NCC has created new rights for digital environments and can block or disable access to infringing content without a court order.
Akpan added that challenges like limited funding for creators due to piracy fears affect the capacity to collaterize creative works. The initiative seeks to address these challenges and bolster Nigeria’s creative industries.