BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

ONITSHA—The Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, may have teamed up with members of the Musical Products Dealers Association of Nigeria, MPDAN, in fighting music pirates to a standstill in Anambra State.
They called on Governor Willie Obiano to assist them in achieving the feat by drafting the Military Joint Task Force, JTF (Operation Kpochapu) to monitor the activities of the pirates, with a view to bringing the culprits to book.

Obiano

In a press statement issued in Onitsha, yesterday, National President of MPDAN, Mr Joseph Okpalakunne, and his Secretary, Mr. Sunny  Agubosim, noted that the work of the JTF would be incomplete if the pirates were not flushed out of Anambra State and other other parts of the country where they existed and carried out their nefarious activities.

The release read in part:   “Your Excellency sir, we wish to bring to your notice the menace caused by some individuals and corporate bodies who transfer musical products into MP3 and MP4 cards, flash disks, CD and memory cards, etc. and sell to the general public without prior permission of the rightful owners.”

The association recalled that it had been using legal means to curb piracy in the state in collaboration with other bodies.
The group said:  “Last year the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, Onitsha zone led us in a one-day raid at the Onitsha International Electronics Market, along Onitsha/Asaba Expressway which is a major hide out for those pirates. The raid was successful as some of the culprits are currently facing prosecution.”

The association hinted that plaza owners, including Sir Emeka Offor, Jerry O and Peace Motors Company have been served with petitions on the illegal activities of pirates in their plazas and urged them to rid the plaza and other markets of such people.
Meanwhile, NCC has indicated its willingness to enlighten the perpetrators of the infringement if they so wished.

NCC Zonal Manager for Onitsha, Mr. Emeka D. Ogbonna, in a letter to the Legal Adviser/Estate Manager, Emeka Offor Plaza, Onitsha, dated May 21, 2014, and entitled “Copyright infringement of projected works, using memory cards, MP3, MP4 and other devices”, warned that the commission would eventually bring the full weight of the law to bear, saying it was determined to end the nefarious activities of the pirates.