Microsoft Word - Achieving the promise of african cultural e

Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has to based its strategy against piracy on its mission statement which clearly define its objective: “ To curb the menace of corruption that constitute the cog in the wheel of progress; protect national and foreign investments in the country; imbue the spirit of hard work in the citizenry and discourage ill-gotten wealth; identify illegally acquired wealth and confiscate it ”. The EFCC has effectively prosecuted several economic saboteurs, especially the notorious “419” fraudsters, and has thereby helped restore confidence in the minds of prospective foreign investors. EFCC is now encouraged to extend this accomplishment to the IP sector, by similarly targeting the kingpins of the piracy cartels and dismantling their networks. The frontline of the war on piracy depends also on the effectiveness of Nigerian Police Force (NPF). They have the widest network, compared to the other agencies, and could be the most effective at surveillance and implementation of the anti-piracy agenda. The Police need to be familiarized with the specifics of the law’s requirements and include the pirated products in their list of illegal goods. They would also act to demand proper identification and registration of supposed dealers in IP products. An additional concern of the police would be to investigate the relationship between dealers of pirated IP goods, and those of numerous other counterfeit goods, and smuggling rings. 4. Creation of an IPR registration center . Structure the value chain of the movie industry 5. Rebrand of Nollywood. First a packaging and joint marketing company should be created. This body would capitalize on economies of scale in packaging and marketing. It would have the scale to be able to market Nigeria’s films and music overseas. It would also have the benefit of ensuring standardization and quality of the Nigerian products. Second it should be organized “Red carpet” events would be publicized and marketed creating increased interest and a higher profile for the film- makers. This in turn would provide more incentive for higher budget and higher quality productions. It would also create an enhanced revenue stream for the best productions. 6. Improving distribution and marketing network. At the moment there are few formal distribution channels open to Nigerian film-makers. There is no established cinema circuit that caters to Nigerian movies. The few international style cinemas that do exist in a handful of the country’s major towns cater exclusively to international movies. Nigerian movies therefore utilize digital media and go straight to DVD and VCD formats. Without a formal distribution and marketing channel they are unable to reap the financial benefits of a cinema release.

25