NBC, NCC Organize Workshop for Pay TV Operators

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) have organized a two-day workshop for pay subscription broadcast operators in Nigeria, as part of the public-private sector partnership drive in implementation of the Strategic Action against Piracy (Strap).
The workshop, which held recently in Lagos was themed: “Copyright and Pay Subscription Broadcasting in Nigeria: Rights Acquisition and Infringements,” and was designed to engage relevant stakeholders to tackle the prevalent problem of broadcast piracy by adoption of best practices in the pay subscription broadcast (PSB) industry, as well as address the various legal, administrative and practical challenges that constrain the industry.
The workshop appraised and proffered practical solutions to disputes that often arise over the scope and limitations of rights granted broadcasting organizations especially the PSBs, under the Nigerian Copyright Act, and also highlighted the implications of contracts and licensing on the enforcement of such copyright-protected broadcast rights under the civil and criminal provisions of the law.
Stakeholders used the workshop as a platform to closely examine the relationship between the various operators of PSB in the context of the Broadcasting Code and the extant policies of government in the country. They also engaged in fruitful dialogue on how to best promote self-regulation in the industry and ensure adherence to all extant laws and regulations in the best interest of the industry.
The workshop also addressed the problem of operational disconnect as in other copyright industries, and endeavoured to bridge the huge knowledge gap among the various operators and stakeholders in the broadcast industry, including the principal officers and administrators, in-house lawyers, regulatory agencies and officials, as well as interested private practitioners, in order to enhance the administration and enforcement of relevant laws for better service delivery while assisting operators to adopt global best practices in the industry.