NCC Arraigns Businessman for Piracy

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has arraigned one Augustine Amaechi, an Onitsha-based businessman, before a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu for piracy.

Amaechi is facing a two-count charge of unauthorized exhibition of foreign and local DVDs and being in possession of such quantity without the consent of the wner.

Mr. Paul Anagonye, counsel to the plaintiff, said his client saw pirated copies of foreign and local DVD plates worth more than N2 million in the hands of the accused.

Anagonye said his client had earlier warned the accused to stop selling pirated goods and he refused, leading to his arrest.

The counsel also said the accused supplied the pirated goods to the rural areas.

Mr. Innocent Chigbo, defence lawyer, said his client had registered with the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board before he started the DVD business.

Chigbo said the commission was not even in a better position to tell the court which one was pirated copies or not because they were not the artist.

He, however, explained that the commission had already confiscated products worth more than N2 million from his client.

``I wonder what they want from him again. I believe someone is behind this incident,’’ he said.

The presiding Judge, Justice D.V. Agishi, adjourned the case till April 25 for further hearing.