A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Adequate enforcement of the provisions of Nigerian Copyright Act 2022 is a key to curbing piracy of copyrighted works in Nigeria.  Copyright enforcement will discourage infringement of copyright works thus providing benefits to copyright owners in the form of economic and moral rights. The objective of this paper is to do a critical appraisal of copyright enforcement mechanisms in Nigeria. This paper adopted doctrinal methodology through the analysis of existing statute, case laws and opinions of scholars.. In tandem with the objective of this research, the paper found that the Nigerian Copyright Act 2022 overhauled the Copyright Act 2004 and made significant innovations for enforcement mechanism in protection of copyright works on the digital space. However, the provisions of the Act are inadequate and insufficient to protect copyright in the digital space .Criminalization alone is not a viable solution to infringement. The paper found that the Nigerian Copyright Commission itself is bereft of funding to fulfil its functions. The paper recommends that the National Assembly should further amend the Copyright Act 2022 to improve on the digital protection and prevention of copyright infringement in Nigeria beyond what is current provided in section 50 to 56 of the Nigerian Copyright Act 2022.