COPYRIGHT ACT 2022, THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria’s entertainment industry is arguably the biggest in Africa and the second in the world after India in terms of the number of films produced yearly. So far, it has contributed to the growth of Nigeria’s economy especially the provision of employment to many hitherto unemployed persons in Nigeria. This study examined the Copyright Act, 2022 to determine how adequate it is to protect and enforce copyright in the entertainment industry in the digital era and the role of enhanced copyright protection in the diversification and development of the Nigerian economy through adequate protection of rights in the entertainment industry. The paper found among other things that the Copyright Act, 2022 is largely adequate to protect copyright in the entertainment in this digital era. The paper also found that copyright enforcement machinery in Nigeria is weak and not adequate and further that the entertainment industry in Nigeria will only have the potential of contributing huge revenue and aid the diversification of the Nigerian economy if the enhanced copyright legislation is adequately enforced. The paper therefore recommended that the enforcement machinery of copyright should be strengthened to address copyright infringement particularly piracy in digital platforms. This work further recommended that government should consciously include intellectual property in its economic development policy. These recommendations will help to diversity the Nigerian economy and to a large extent address copyright infringement in the entertainment industry in Nigeria.