Stakeholders Advocate Stronger Awareness On Intellectual Property
Legal experts and stakeholders are advocating increased intellectual property (IP) awareness to prevent copyright infringement and also ensure visibility for Nigerian creatives.
The stakeholders made the call at a one-day capacity-building programme on IP Rights Management for creative industry administrators on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria.
Organised by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy (FMACTCE), the training brought officials of the ministry, the media, and other key industry players together as participants.
Mr Michael Akpan, an IP expert at the training, commended FMACTCE for organising the training and added that although enforcement of copyright laws was needed, it was also imperative to ensure that Nigerians were well-informed about IP.
“Respect for intellectual property rights hinges on awareness. When people understand their obligations, enforcement becomes easier, as they are more likely to comply with the law and respect others’ rights.
“Just as you will not trespass on someone’s land, people who understand intellectual property respect the rights of creators, including musicians and actors.
“As people profit from tangible properties they create, those who create intellectual property are also entitled to derive economic benefits from it, and that is the core message of IP.
“This training is very important because the attendees are like the front officers for the government to engage with the creative industry.
“So they need to have good knowledge of managing creativity, which basically rests on the whole theme of intellectual property protection,” he said.
Mrs Ugochi Akudo-Nwosu, Director of Entertainment and Creative Economy at FMACTCE, emphasised the need for collective efforts to safeguard Nigerian ingenuity, urging that “We understand that the lack of a framework to protect the copyright of creators in Nigeria over the years is a major concern for which this ministry was created.
Although the Copyright Act is there, we also need to create awareness for our stakeholders to know that a creative idea or a creative asset needs to be protected.
“Today’s capacity building for creative economy administrators on IP rights is actually the first training since the creation of the Department of Entertainment and Creative Economy in 2014.
“We want to specially thank the Honourable Minister for approving this training for the administrators for them to have the capacity to administer the intellectual property rights regime,” she said.
Mrs Blessing Onwughalu, Assistant Director in the Department of Entertainment and Creative Economy of the ministry, said that the IP training was apt and timely.
“The things I have never heard before, I heard them today, which is very apt because it will help us to go back and talk to our subsector, the fashion designers, the actors, the authors, all of them.
“We are now equipped with the knowledge to educate them on protecting their rights and earning more income, both personally and for the nation,” she said.
Mr Godwin Ukah, a cultural officer in the ministry, added that with adequate knowledge of IP, policies, and enabling frameworks in place, creatives would thrive.
Earlier, Mr Ibrahim Suleiman, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, called for policies that would promote fair and efficient IP systems, and as the Nigerian creative economy is gaining global attention, there is a need to enhance the capacity of its administrators, adding that the training was timely.
“These programmes highlight the significance of intellectual property in the creative economy and its output for practitioners.
“On our part as a ministry, we are willing to collaborate with businesses, creators, and institutions to ensure that IP is used as a tool for empowerment and economic growth,” he said.
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