CHINEDUM OFOMATA LAMENTS: THERE IS NO EFFECTIVE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW IN NIGERIA TO PROTECT INNOVATORS AND CREATORS FROM THE THREAT OF PIRACY AND ADULTERATION

Some stakeholders in creative industry said the nation’s quest of becoming an economic giant will be easily attained if the enabling environment is provided for owners of arts and other creative works.

They stated this in Enugu as Nigeria joins the international community to mark the 2019 World Intellectual Property Day.

Creativity and innovations have been the pivot of human development and in the quest to find solutions to his numerous needs, man had exerted himself in inventing new ideas to improve his wellbeing.

Speaking with Radio Nigeria, an author and publisher, Mr. Chinedum Ofomata, lamented that there is no effective intellectual property law in Nigeria to protect innovators and creators from the threat of piracy and adulteration.

Mr. Ofomata appealed to the Federal Government to initiate policies and laws that would encourage and reward creativity and innovations in the country to ward off brain drain.

According to him, supporting and protecting creative industry would contribute immensely to the nation’s economy.

Reacting the theme of the 2019 celebration “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports,” a former Chairman Enugu State Sports Council, Mr. Steve Oruruo, called on government to encourage private organisations to invest more into sponsorship of sports competition by ensuring stability in the polity.

Mr. Oruruo maintained that more private sponsorship will not only enable patented organizations promote their brands and generate revenue but would spur the youth into sports for the overall development of the society.

The need to ensure that innovators and creators benefit from their creativity spurred the establishment of World Intellectual Property Organization, which subsequently in the year 2000 declared April 26 annually as World Intellectual Property Day.

The aim was to raise awareness of how intellectual property rights of patents, copyrights, trademarks, designs and trade secrets impacted on daily life and to celebrate creativity and the contributions made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the world.

Meanwhile, the Director General, Nigeria Copyright Commission, Mr. John Asein says Nigeria occupies a unique place in the world of sports given its exploits and remarkable successes in sporting events.

Mr. Asein made this known in a statement on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day.

According to Mr. Asein, the universal value of sports in today’s world is phenomenal and has become a multi-billion dollar global industry that creates employment, attracts investment and contribute to the growth of the economy.

The Director General explained that the theme of the 2019 event – “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports,” – was chosen to explore the world of sports, the creative and innovative elements that sustain them.

He therefore called on beneficiaries from intellectual property system to support in rebuilding the infrastructure required to keep the system functional.

 

IFESINACHI UGWUEZE   

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