The Pending Industrial Property Commission Bill (IPCOM)
Over the years, efforts have been made to overhaul the current Intellectual Property laws and governing bodies by providing for the establishment of the Industrial Property Commission of Nigeria through the Industrial Property Commission Bill (IPCOM Bill).
The IPCOM Bill that seeks to harmonize the Intellectual Property laws which are the Trade Marks Act cap. T13, LFN 2004 and the Patents and Designs Act, cap 344, LFN 2004; in order to provide a comprehensive legislative Intellectual Property framework, is yet to be passed into law.
Beijing Treaty on Audio-Visual Performances Takes Off: Nigeria Commits to Full Implementation
Nigeria, in the ongoing reform of its copyright system, is taking steps towards the domestication of the provisions of the Beijing Treaty on Audio-visual Performances, which came into force on 28 April 2020.
The Beijing Treaty encompasses the performances of actors in different media, such as film and television, and includes musicians when their musical performances are recorded in a DVD or any other audio-visual platform. It grants performers economic rights in fixed and unfixed performances, as well as certain moral rights.
The Director-General reaffirmed the Nigerian Copyright Commission’s commitment to improving the protection available to audio-visual performers, especially “in today’s digital environment where copyright works are easily transmitted on various online platforms often without recourse to the right owners or the performers. There is a growing concern over the loss of revenue in the audio-visual industry, which is a major menace to the government and parties involved.
Firm News
We congratulate our Partner, Uche Nwokocha, on being recognised as an IP star by Managing IP for her outstanding work in the trademark practice area.
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