The Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) has evolved over the years in its fight against copyright infringement. For much of its 37 years the Commission fought pirates in physical confrontations chasing them through markets from Alaba in Lagos to Eweka in Onitsha and seizing cassettes DVDs CDs and pirated books. As technology advanced and pirates went digital the Commission evolved too.
The Copyright Act of 1988 created the Commission to protect creators and fight piracy. For decades that meant physical enforcement in Lagos Onitsha Kano and Aba and success was measured in trucks: trucks raiding Alaba Market and trucks seizing pirated VCDs.
Thirty-seven years later NCC Director-General Dr John Asein says the metric has changed.
‘We used to measure our success by how many times we visited Alaba’ he said. ‘Now we measure our success by how many people online complain that their business has been disrupted. Piracy that they were enjoying is now being made a thing of the past.’
That shift reflects an institution that has grown from a law-enforcement body into what it now calls ‘the engine room for Nigeria’s creative economy.’
From markets to the internet
Piracy moved online and so did the NCC.
‘The last few years have been remarkable’ Asein said. ‘We found that more pirates are now online. And we have found that we can disrupt many online activities. Some of them have even come to us to complain that it’s now costing them more to operate.’
The Commission points to two landmark cases. The first is NetNiger which after a three-year investigation led to a prosecution at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The second is MovieBox which was using a .ng domain.
‘We worked closely with NIRA and were able to bring down the .ng domain’ Asein explained. ‘MovieBox became an embarrassment to Nigeria. We’ve done so much now to disrupt the whole MovieBox operations.’
He added a caution: ‘I won’t say we are there yet. But once you get hold of technology and have the right support from the right owners you can match these illicit activities online.’
At a recent event in Lagos international rights owners commended Nigeria for its online enforcement. Asein credited the current administration saying that under the Renewed Hope Agenda rights holders are seeing renewed hope because their rights are better protected.
From stopping piracy to paying creators
By the 2010s Nigeria’s cultural exports had raised the stakes with Afrobeats on global charts and Nollywood on Netflix. The question was no longer only ‘How do we stop piracy?’ but also ‘How do creators get paid?’
Asein said the Commission responded by creating the e-Copyright portal strengthening its oversight of collective management organisations (CMOs) and expanding digital takedowns. The CMOs include the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) the Musical Society of Nigeria (MCSN) and the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG).
The law that changed everything
Asein described the Copyright Act 2022 as ‘the most significant reform in the 37-year history of the Commission.’
‘It criminalises camcording recognises rights in digital transmissions and provides a safe harbour framework’ he said. ‘A songwriter can now clearly license her work for TikTok and if it’s used without permission there are real penalties.’
The biggest breakthrough he said came with money.
‘For the first time since the Copyright Act was passed in 1988 we were able to send ?1.2 billion to each of the three CMOs: music film and literary’ he said. ‘This administration deserves commendation for unlocking that. Authors are now benefiting not just from books sold but from inflows we unlocked.’
He said the Commission is pushing the CMOs to be ‘transparent accountable and ensure good governance so that royalties actually trickle down to the right owners.’
Since 2022 the NCC has rolled out new regulations and is training judges and Ministry of Justice legal advisers nationwide. Two to three more regulations are expected before the end of 2026.
Building for 2030 and beyond
At 37 Asein says the focus must be on mindset and money.
‘We are fighting a mindset. People think if it’s online it’s free. Our job is to show that free for the user often means broke for the creator.’
He said the Commission is building a national database of works and working with banks to accept copyright as collateral.
‘My vision is simple. I want a filmmaker in Jos or a musician in Port Harcourt to walk into a bank and say ‘Here is my IP. Finance my next project” he said.
He is optimistic about the next decade. ‘The world is moving into an AI-driven economy. I want to see Nigerians at the forefront. Nigerian music has now become a global brand. I say our Afrobeats is what reggae was in the 70s. By 2030 and beyond every person in this world will be looking for Afrobeats to sing.’
Honouring past leaders
The anniversary also gave the Asein-led administration an opportunity to honour past Directors-General and retired directors as part of efforts to strengthen the system. The Commission also announced that awards would be institutionalised in the names of past Directors-General.
‘It’s not about one person’ Asein said. ‘We are one family. Whether you are a present DG or retired you must believe you still have a stake. We should not treat ourselves as statistics. We are human beings.’
He concluded: ‘As we mark 37 years let it be clear. We didn’t just come to police creativity. We came to make sure creativity pays.’
Justice Ministry pledges support
The Commission’s parent ministry the Federal Ministry of Justice assured it of support at all times. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi who was represented by Mr Patrick Oyor Director of Legal Drafting in the ministry said the support was necessary for a flourishing creative and knowledge economy.
‘The Federal Ministry of Justice under whose supervision the Commission operates will continue to support efforts to strengthen copyright administration and enforcement and to promote an enabling legal and regulatory environment in which Nigeria’s creative and knowledge economy can flourish’ he said. ‘As the economic significance of creativity innovation and intellectual property continue to grow the work of the Commission will become even more important to our national development.’
He added: ‘As the Commission looks to the future it must continue to build on the foundations established by successive leaderships while responding effectively to a rapidly changing copyright environment. Digital technologies streaming platforms artificial intelligence and new models of creating distributing and exploiting creative works are creating both opportunities and challenges for copyright administration. These developments demand strong institutions forward-looking laws and policies effective enforcement innovative regulation and sustained engagement with creators investors and users of copyright works.
‘In meeting these challenges the experience and institutional wisdom of those who have served before remain valuable resources.’
He encouraged the Commission to maintain appropriate channels to continue drawing on the knowledge and experience of its former leaders and senior officers.
The minister said the ceremony was about gratitude and legacy. ‘It is about recognising those who served preserving institutional memory and reminding those still in service that their own contributions will in time become part of the history upon which future generations will build.’
He also stressed that public service is a fundamental service to the nation and that its true measure lies not merely in the number of years spent in office.
Stakeholders pledge support
Mr Tosin Akeredolu Acting Executive Director of REPRONIG pledged the society’s continued support for the legacies left by the honourees and expressed hope that they would remain available whenever their experience was needed.
The President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Dr Usman Akanbi pledged the association’s support for the NCC in protecting the copyright and intellectual property of Nigerian writers. He said the Commission had helped establish a coalition to better protect writers’ intellectual property. He congratulated those who had led the coalition and noted that the partnership between the Federal Government through the NCC and stakeholders had given writers greater priority in copyright protection.
The Deputy President of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) Alhaji Isiaq Ajibola expressed excitement over the recognition of the former Directors-General and retired directors. He said copyright is not merely legal terminology to publishers but a fundamental basis of their work and the knowledge economy. He commended the NCC for its recent collaboration with the NPA particularly in tackling piracy and congratulated the honourees on their immense contributions to the Commission.