IN what a guest described as using love to ‘kill’ piracy, the dreaded Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos, played host to some filmmakers who seized the opportunity of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Day to speak directly to film marketers on the need to desist from unauthorised replication of their works for commercial gains.
Alaba has been described as the headquarters of piracy activities in Africa. And previous attempts to raid the market of pirated works had been resisted violently. But the subtle approach used during last Wednesday’s visit, produced a different experience.
The event was put together by the Audio-Visual Rights Society (AVRS), a company approved by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) as a Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for Cinematograph Films in Nigeria, in commemoration of WIPO Day.
April 26 of every year is used by WIPO to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life and to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe.
Harping on the theme of the event for 2017: ‘Innovation – Improving Lives’, Chairman of AVRS, Mr. Bond Emeruwa, noted that, for him, “the greatest innovation of recent times remains Nollywood. “A gentle fusion of technology and the African art of storytelling – making it possible for a simple campfire story to be seen and heard across nations – informing, educating, fostering unity, peace, love and most of all, entertaining.”
According to Emeruwa, filmmakers will soon have cause to smile, as their intellectual rights are being enforced for relevant returns.
“This is an exercise that we have been pursuing vigorously and we promise that soon, filmmakers will have cause to smile. We have engaged with hotels, broadcast organisations and other users of your works and the response has been very encouraging. We implore other users of cinematograph works to ensure they are licensed as we are set to use all means within our power to enforce our rights. The lives of our filmmakers must be improved,” he said.
He urged the federal government to speed up the process of implementation of the Copyright Levy (on Materials) order 2012 which he said was signed and left unimplemented since 2012 to the detriment of Nigeria’s creative economy.
The highpoint of the event was the speech by actress Hilda Dokubo, who was guest speaker of the occasion.
Speaking frankly to the crowd at the Film Plaza, Fancy and Furniture section of the market, Dokubo analysed how pirates of entertainment works have not only deprived right owners of their source of livelihood, but also of how they have contributed to the ‘collapse’ of film business in Nigeria.
“To those who decide to make us poor; because when you steal from us, you are actually ripping us off. Which means you have kept away investors from this business; both locally and internationally,” she said.
Continuing, Dokubo said: “We are all looking for international partners and treaties, so for those who pirate our work, they will kill those treaties and investment. So you are keeping partners away from us.
“This market is big enough to accommodate all of us, if we all agree to work together. I will tell you how this stealing works; because all of you will say you do not pirate.
“When you buy a copy and you duplicate and give it to the boys who push them around in wheel barrows for sale, you are a thief. You are killing people, I beg you to stop. That is because people who are investing in this business will not be encouraged.”
Dokubo however proffered some solutions. “My business here today is to tell you how you are killing us and I am not one of those who cry and not tell how we can correct it. I want to give a few suggestions on how we can correct them,” she said.
“Rather than you pirating,” she advised,” invest in it. You do not have to be the same investor; the three or more who pirate can come together, sell as group and invest in a work, so that you can distribute them. All the guys who pull themselves together to become mobile distributors, you too can come together to have an association and help us get these movies to the end users. And to those who buy and give to your friends at home; for every time you do that, you are killing this business.”
Chairman of Fancy and Furniture section, Mr. Emeka Mozoba, who admitted that piracy activities exist in the market, promised “to work hand in hand with the government, NCC, AVRS and other anti-piracy regulatory bodies to fight piracy in Nigeria.”
Others stakeholders at the event include the new General Manager of AVRS, Mrs. Olubunmi Fawole, Chairman of Film and Video Producers/Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN), Emeka Aduah, and Secretary of Yoruba Video Film Marketers Association of Nigeria (YVFMAN), Tunji Adetola.
Others are Aina Kushoro, Lilian Amah- Aluko, Fidelis Duker, Nobert Ajaegbu, Okey Ogunjiofor, Emma Isikaku and Paul Okoli.
