In a bid to fight the prevailing menace of piracy which has bedevilled the creative industry to a standstill, content owners rose from a meeting at the Nigerian Film Corporation Zonal Office in Lagos with a renewed vigour and fresh strategies in their fight against piracy.
Operating under the aegis of Strategic Alliance Against Piracy, SAAP, major producers and distributors formed the new coalition to establish a permanent body that will fight piracy on a day to day basis by adopting a three-pronged strategy of Enforcement, Enlightenment and Legislation.
According to Madu C Chikwendu, pioneer Nigerian representative at the International Federation of Film Producers Association and former Regional Secretary Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) while speaking on the focal point of SAAP, it is time for the fight against piracy to be organized as is obtainable in advanced countries of the world.
“SAAP is modelled along with institutions like the UK based Federation Against Copyright Theft FACT and US-based Motion Picture Association who fight piracy on a permanent basis unlike in Nigeria where the fight is disorganized, sporadic and inconsistent. SAAP will be run on day to day basis by a retired security agent not less than the rank of Colonel or equivalent” he said.
Speaking further, he added that the pathetic situation of practitioners in the industry is a wake-up call.
“The pathetic state of the industry which leads to a situation where some practitioners are unable to meet up with their financial obligations or even take care of their health is a major impetus for launching a sustained onslaught against piracy. The campaign will kick off with Trade Delegations to selected countries including the USA, Brazil, China and South Korea. SAAP will work closely with sovereign states, security and regulatory agencies both local and international, Non-governmental and Intergovernmental agencies like World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO, United Nations, African Union and so on” he added.
On his part, the President of AMP and SAAP Board of Trustees, BoT member Mr Ralph Nwadike there will be no hiding place for pirates anymore with the launching of SAAP.
“Enough is simply enough. There will no longer be any hiding place for pirates” he said.
The federating associations include Association of Movie Producers, AMP, Association of Movie Content Owners and Distributors, AMCOD, Film and Video Marketers and Producers Association of Nigeria, FVPMAN, Association of Nollywood Core Producers, ANCOP, Electronic Media Content Owner Association of Nigerian, EMCOAN, Movie Content Distributors Association of Nigeria, MCDAN, Film Distributors Association of Nigeria, FDAN.
