Intellectual piracy, that is stealing of the ideas of others and claiming them as your own is the commonest crime in Nigeria today and one that is threatening all the fabrics of the country’s life, Nigeria Communications Week can now reveal.
The most common types of piracy and counterfeiting internationally include: medications, apparel, footwear and handbags, movies and music, auto parts, electronics, health products (toothpaste, lotion, vitamins) and food, alcohol and beverages.
Piracy or counterfeiting is a too benevolent term that doesn’t even begin to adequately describe the toll that the theft takes on the many artists, musicians, record label employees, industrialists, manufacturers and the country in general.
Though reliable statistics are hard to come by, losses as a result of counterfeiting and piracy are staggering and thought to have exceeded genuine earnings.
According to a research by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the International Data Corporation (IDC), Nigeria lost more than N19.8 billion ($132 million) to software piracy alone in 2008.
Nodding in agreement, Karen Burress, a US department of commerce representative who recently visited the country, pointed out that counterfeit goods – including music, movies, electronic goods, food stuffs, automotive parts and pharmaceuticals, among many other things account for 7 per cent of all global trade. This equated to almost $350 billion in lost revenues and millions of jobs gone wanting worldwide.
“We estimate that Nigeria is the largest market in Africa for goods that infringe IP rights. Around 80% of the international music CDs available here are pirated; even the local music industry sees 40% of its products being copied, counterfeited or sold illegally,” she said.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that the pirated CD of any artiste sells for as low as N100 while the original sells for as high as N2, 000.
The shameless debasement of the industry is not limited to music, counterfeit computer hardware and accessories also abound in the country.
Investigations revealed that the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is the major gateway for fake and sub-standard phones, computers, and other ICT accessories into the country.
Dubai, a top re-exporting destination, is said to acts as a catalyst for the huge volumes of exports from India, Vietnam, Singapore and China to Nigeria.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that most of the fake and sub-standard ICT products are manufactured in China, Singapore, Vietnam and India, but sold in Dubai, which is a major market for most importers from Nigeria.
It also is surprising how the products get into the country amidst the measures said to be put in place by the government.
Investigations showed that the major market for all these fake products is the Computer Village in Lagos, the largest computer and mobile phones and accessories market in West Africa.
The duplication of duties of Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC), Standard Organization of Nigeria (Son) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) only seem to have bolstered the booming trade.
The involvement of organized crime and terrorist groups worldwide in counterfeiting products to finance their activities has not helped matters.
Magnitude and effects of counterfeiting and piracy necessitate strong action which is in short supply in the country.
Describing the current spate of law enforcement activities as inadequate Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (Bascap) pointed the way forward.
The group said there was urgent need for Nigeria to adopt new Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement guidelines for the protection of rights owners in their territories.
It has also launched a set of intellectual property (IP) guidelines designed to help businesses around the globe protect their copyright and branded materials, and deter trade in counterfeit and pirated goods.