By JAPHET ALAKAM

One of the greatest challenges facing the Nigerian entertainment industry is piracy. It has robbed the industry billions of Naira, in fact one of the stakeholders in the industry described the perpetrators as  terrorist and that the act is more deadly than AIDS. And in line with its core mission to create and maintain a pace setting organisation by adapting technology to customers’ needs, finished with transcending excellent services, the management of Transerve Discs Technologies Limited, one of the optical discs replicating plants, registered by the Nigerian Copyright Commission, last week unveiled its new products. They are Transerve Discs’ new DVD mastering facility and DVD 5 & 9 replicating machines,  glass mastering (Stamper) as well as its new anti-piracy initiative, the Job Alert Management Systems (Jams).

The new products which were unveiled recently at the Golden Tulip Hotel, FESTAC Town received commendation from many stakeholders in the industry including the Director General of the Commission, Mr. Afam Ezekude.

•Mr Cyprian Orakpo, CEO of Transverse (R( with Nollywood actor
Kanayo O. Kanayo at the event

Addressing the problem of  Piracy

In his opening remarks, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Transerve Discs Technologies,  Mr. Cyprian Orakpo stated that the decision of the company to introduce the JAMS initiative was informed by the need to address the problem of piracy of copyright works at point of production, by instituting the core value of transparency, integrity, excellence and professionalism in its operations. He disclosed that Transerve Discs Technologies has a policy of zero tolerance for piracy.

According to him, the JAMS initiative enables Customers to monitor and track all activities relating to the production of their copyright works, and also ensures that the Customer is promptly alerted of any future attempt to reproduce the work by a third party.

Continuing he stated that Transerve Discs Technologies is the first indigenous Replicating Plant in Nigeria, and has grown from a modest one replicating line company in 2006, to the largest replicator of optical discs in Nigeria with 13 CD/VCD replicating lines. The addition of two DVD Lines and one DVD mastering facility has boosted its capacity of replication to more than 420, 000 CDs/DVDs per day.

The Director General, in his speech noted that the introduction of the Job Management Alert Systems (JAMS) by Transerve Discs Technologies has taken to a new dimension, the underlying policy for regulation of operations of optical discs manufacturers, which is to entrench international best practice, credibility and transparency in the business of production of copyright works. He enjoined all players in the copyright industry to emulate Transerve Discs Technologies, in adopting proactive solutions to challenges in their respective business environment. The Director General, reassured guests at the event, particularly copyright stakeholders, of the Commission’s readiness to support and partner with stakeholders in creating a conducive environment for creativity to thrive.

On his part, Nollywood actor and Chairman, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Kanayo O. Kanayo condemned piracy and called it an act of “intellectual terrorism”. Kanayo noted that the wealth of Nollywood is judged not only on its past works but on the substance that is coming from the industry in contemporary times. He called for stricter enforcement measures to curb the hydra-headed phenomenon.

Kanayo who is not happy that the pirates are feeding fat literarily and figuratively on creative works at the expense of the supposed beneficiaries of the works, then called for the establishment of Intellectual Property Police like the EFCC, to handle this scourge.

The Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr. Afam Ezekude revealed that during his administration, NCC has secured 46 criminal convictions and seized 16 containers containing pirated products from China, which included books. While, the Director-General of Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board, Mrs. Patricia Bala spoke on the precautions that can be taken to nip the activities of the intellectual property pirates in the bud. She appealed to the stakeholders in the entertainment industry and the companies replicating films to send the letters of approval to the Censors board for verification. This, she said, would help the board check the films that are replicated.

The events of the day, also featured the presentation of a documentary on Transerve Discs Technologies.

witnessed the attendance of key stakeholders in the copyright industries, including the  including the Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Mrs Patricia Bala, the Chairman, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Mr. Kanayo O. Kanayo and the Representative of the Director General of National Broadcasting Commission. Others were Chairman of Copyright Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, the Chairman of Audiovisual Rights Society of Nigeria, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun, the President of Film and Video Producers and Marketers Association, Mr. Nobert Ajaegbu, a Pioneer Producer and Distributor of Movies, Igwe Gabriel Okoye (AKA Gabosky) and representative of the Alaba Market Traders Association.