COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN NIGERIA AND THE DIGITAL AGE

COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN NIGERIA AND THE DIGITAL AGE

Introduction:

The advent of the internet has revolutionized various aspects of life, including the creation, distribution, and consumption of intellectual property. In Nigeria, copyright infringement has emerged as a significant issue in the digital age with the proliferation of online platforms, social media, music and video streaming services. Consequently, copyright protection has become exigent. The legal framework for copyright protection in Nigeria is provided by the Nigerian Copyright Act of 2022 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Copyright Act’ or “Act”), which repealed the Nigerian Copyright Act of 2004.

Definition:

Copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives ownership to the original author. It is the right of a person to protect his ideas from exploitation. It grants the author exclusive right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute a form of work such as literary, musical, artistic, cinematographic works, broadcasts, and sound recordings.

Copyright infringement refers to the unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, or adaptation of copyrighted material without the permission of the rights holder. Such infringement include unauthorized reproduction, distribution, public performance, adaptation and broadcasting.

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