By: Mercy Peter
The Nigerian Copyright Commission has kick-off the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) project to address online copyright piracy in the country.
Nigeria is estimated to be losing billions of naira to online copyright piracy annually.
The WIPO project according to the Director General of NCC, Dr. John Asein is to develop strategies and tools to contain the online copyright piracy in Nigeria, which has been a success in some countries.
Speaking at the kick-off stakeholders meeting on the WIPO project in Abuja on Tuesday, Asein said digital technologies have unlocked tremendous opportunities for the creative and innovation sectors.
This, he however said has introduced serious challenges-chief among them, online piracy, which is growing rapidly.
He said, “Pirate sites continue to emerge rapidly, with statistics indicating a 6.7% increase in user visits. A significant percentage of these users are students aged between 18 and 24, with social media and messaging platforms becoming major gateways for accessing pirated content.”
He stressed that “No industry is immune. The most affected sectors include television (43.6%), publishing (27.5%), film (12.9%), music (7.0%), and software (6.2%).
“Far beyond mere statistics, the victims are no longer only foreign right owners. Many Nigerians in these sectors have also been bruised and their creative enterprises ruined.
“Online piracy threatens the livelihoods of individual creators and businesses and is often linked to other forms of financial crime, internet fraud, national security threats, and other serious criminal activities. While users may be enticed by the promise of free content, behind the scenes are organised criminal networks driving these operations.”
He therefore said: “This is why it is imperative to develop and deploy the right strategies and tools for effective management, protection, control, and enforcement of copyright in the digital environment.”
The three years WIPO project, Asein said, would be used to boost campaigns against online piracy.
He said “Although this project is scheduled to run for 36 months, the Commission is using the opportunity to boost its ongoing campaign against online piracy and the broader national strategy to protect Nigeria’s digital market and creative economy. Attention will be given to: Public education and awareness; Capacity building for officials, including judges and prosecutors; Investment in modern tools such as web crawlers to detect illegal content; Strong inter-agency collaboration for rapid response to complaints; Industry-led initiatives to develop appropriate business solutions ; and
Sustained enforcement through timely takedowns and effective site-blockings.”
On what the government has been able to do in the war against online piracy, Asein said “Nigeria now has a modern Copyright Act that enables the takedown of infringing materials and blocking of offending websites. The Act also provides for the use of technological protection measures and supports the application of digital rights management systems, with safeguards to maintain their integrity. These provisions underscore the need for inter-agency cooperation, stakeholder vigilance, and active citizen participation.”
He also added: “We can share intelligence, pool our expertise, and mobilise the resources needed to protect our collective interests. The Commission has also recently been designated as a relevant organisation under the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, empowering it to “follow the money” in the investigation of copyright piracy.
“Experiences from other regions have shown that collaboration-particularly through site and IP blocking-can reduce online piracy by up to 70-90%. In the long run, this approach is more cost-effective and sustainable, especially when it is well- coordinated, inclusive, and consistent.
“This is why all stakeholders-government agencies, ISPs, telecom operators, and industry leaders-must stand together as frontline enforcement partners to protect Nigeria’s creative industries and digital future.”
Asein also called on all stakeholders, “for the good of our country, to unite and protect Nigeria’s digital space. Stand against criminality. Stand against economic sabotage. Stand against copyright theft. Stand against the existential threat facing Nigeria’s creative economy and the millions of livelihoods it sustains.
Stand Together against Online Piracy – S-T-O-P. Stop Online Piracy NOW!
Earlier, Dr. Oluwatobiloba Moody, Director, WIPO Nigeria Office in his remark said that there is a global concern on digital piracy.
He noted that “it remains a big challenge, not just globally, but I think on the continent.”
He noted that with the rise of digital streaming platforms, “opening new ways of content sharing, a whole new set of opportunities have emerged for African economies, and of course open new perspectives for growth.”
He added: “Just reviewing the project document ahead of this meeting, we see that Africa is forecast to surpass half a billion e-commerce users this year, which will have shown a steady 17% compound annual growth rate of online consumers for the market. And in that context, of course, new business models and consumer behaviour are adapting to the digital ecosystem, affecting various stakeholders, including IP rights holders.
“ In such a dynamic system, which of course is creating a whole new set of challenges for music, for film, for TV, and there’s a high rise of copyright infringement, preventing IP holders from receiving the full benefits of their works.
“And so in such a situation, protecting IP in such a digital environment remains an important policy objective, and I think in a nutshell, this represents it. And so, like I said, this represents a key thrust of the project.”
