The Vice President made this call, while speaking at the annual Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, lecture, at the Sheraton hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. Represented by the Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, Mr. Afam Ezekude, Osinbajo lamented the current situation where our streets are littered with pirated and counterfeit products insisting that the trend must be arrested with immediate effect. The Vice President said the drive of the present administration to ensure that laws are respected will be taken from a holistic point of view, and will address issues of these kinds of violations with the decisiveness it deserves. He spoke on the theme, “Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Economy,” noting that the nation’s Copyright Act shows that the legislation was made at a time, when the creative economy was largely driven by analogue technology. While observing that application of the copyright law becomes difficult with the advent of digital technology, the Vice President recalled that a couple of years ago, some attempts were made for the passage of amendments to the copyright Act, which he said, did not seem to have progressed to conclusion. Speaking further, the Vice President said, even though technology will continue to play an important role in the production and dissemination of creative works, as a country whose creative industry is gaining global prominence, and waxing stronger in its economic potentials, it behooves over Nigerians to begin to articulate strategies that will transform the fortunes of the creative industries to impact more positively in our national development efforts. He said that digital technology had brought tremendous improvement to information dissemination, service delivery and commerce, arguing further that, the sustenance of the gains of this development is intricately interwoven with the issue of intellectual property rights protection and enforcement since much of its usable content are intellectual property based. According to the Vice President, “I am also aware that the Nigerian Copyright Commission is taking steps to review the Copyright Act with a view to realigning it with current realities and ensuring that Nigeria also meets its various treaty obligations. “There is need to ensure that such initiative is carried to the logical conclusion. The exercise has become imperative given the need for the nation to diversify its economy. “The potentials of the creative industries as economic drivers cannot be overemphasized. Their wealth creation and employment generation prospects are very significant. “From a general stand point, the most important step is to ensure the presence of a strong legislation, which provides comprehensive protection of rights, as well as stringent penalties for violations. “The law must create a seamless transition from analogue to digital modes of exploitation. Beyond legislative provision, there is need to ensure that the laws are effectively enforced. “The drive of the present administration to ensure that laws are respected will be taken from a holistic point of view, and will address issues of these kinds of violations with the decisiveness it deserves. “Nigeria can longer be treated as dumping ground for counterfeit and pirated products, be that in creative industry or the critical sectors like health and consumer products.” The Vice President also, commended the intervention of the judiciary, maintain that it has a vital role to play in the fight against piracy in the country.”]]>