Copyright Law to be stringent - AG
New board for Copyright Society
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 November 2001 - The Attorney-General, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday said the Copyright Bill before Parliament would impose stringent punitive measures on perpetrators of copyright infringements when passed into law.
He said, notwithstanding the fact that there are laws in place, which make it possible for the prosecution of offenders of copyright regulations, piracy was still rampant because the current penalty was not a sufficient deterrent compared to the potential gains.
"It is my hope that this situation will change when the new Copyright Bill, which provides more stringent measures for copyright infringement and which will be presently before Parliament, is passed into law," he said.
Nana Akufo-Addo was speaking at the inauguration of the National Organising Committee of the forthcoming 5th International Publishers Association's (IPA) International Copyright Conference, slated for February 20 to 22 next year.
The meeting, which is expected to attract book writers, musicians, filmmakers and theatre players from around the world, used to be held as a symposium. It is assuming conference status for the first time this year.
Ghana would be the first African country to host an IPA conference, which has been officially declared as the second most important meeting of the IPA, next only to its congress held every four years.
The conference is designed for players in the publishing industry and policy makers to brainstorm on how to formulate strategies and policy to address problems of piracy, copyright ownership and administration among other things.
Nana Akufo-Addo said the enforcement of the copyright law has over the past few years been ineffective, adding that this had created a mess in copyright administration in the country.
He said the government was determined to restore sanity into the dealings of the copyright world, adding that his office would ensure strict enforcement of the copyright law.
"Until repealed, the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA) Regulations, 1992, LI 1527, is the governing law in the area of collective copyright administration, and, as the chief law officer of the state, you can depend on me to enforce it."
He said it was the government's intention to take the necessary steps to strengthen the Copyright Office so that it could be more responsive to the needs of the literary world.
Nana Akufo-Addo said one of such steps was to modernise legislation on intellectual property, including the passage of the new copyright law to meet international standards.
This, he said, would be completed within the life span of this Parliament, adding that the bill would be looked at during the current meeting and most probably passed into law at the next meeting in January next year.
"An efficient copyright law is an important weapon in the fight against piracy and other forms of unauthorised reproduction of publication," he said.
Nana Akufo-Addo noted that much as the Kufuor administration supported free access to information, it was important to note that the cherished principles of free flow of information must not be confused with the flow of free information.
He said publishers continued to suffer huge financial losses, which reduced the financial basis for further growth and ultimately affected the publishing industry adversely.
"The NPP government believes that with a strong enforcement of intellectual property laws and political commitment to effective administration of the system, our creative community will surely be able to give the impetus to our quest for rapid sustainable development," he said.
Mr George Crabbe, President of African Publishers Network (APNET), said the conference was being organized in collaboration with Book Publisher Association Ghana, the various ministries and other agencies.
He said highlights of the conference included an exclusive African Copyright Conference, Distribution of Books to libraries in the country and a durbar of chiefs and peoples of various traditional areas in the country.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 November 2001 - Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, on Monday inaugurated an 11-member interim Board of Directors for the Copyrights Society of Ghana (COSGA).
This was in spite of an interim injunction a court granted to the previous Board against their being barred from office by the National Commission on Culture in consultation with by the Attorney General's Office.
The 11-member interim committee, according to the Minister, is to act on behalf of COSGA till the determination of the court case. Nana Akuffo-Addo said he was acting in accordance with Legislative Instrument 1527 of the Copyrights Society Regulation.
Nana Akuffo-Addo said his action was not to confront any institution but to ensure that COSGA, as a statutory body, functioned in the best interest of the state.
Professor George Panyin Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture said COSGA should endeavour to become the vital organ needed to represent the rights of creative people.
"You should work to encourage creative individuals to give up their best since it is one sure way of getting direct investment into the country."
Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of MUSIGA and a member of the Board, on behalf of his colleagues, said there would be transparency and accountability in the work of the Board to justify the trust reposed them.
The interim board members have been drawn from stakeholders in the copyright industry. Members are Mr K. M Ganu, Ghana Book Publishers Association, Mr Alex Agyiri, Ghana Association of Writers, Mr M. K Amoatey, National Commission on Culture, Mr J. A Larkai, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Alhaji Sidiku Buari, Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and Nana Aboagye Dacosta, MUSIGA.
The rest are Mr. K. Abisath, Ministry of Information, Mr. H. Odoom, Ghana Association of Production Industry, Mr Oscar Provencal, Performing Artistes, Mr. Gado Mohammed, Film Producers Association and Mr Bernard K Bosumprah, Copyright Administrator. The new Board is expected to appoint two people to act as interim Acting President and Vice President.
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