ECOWAS heads of copyright discuss regional strategy for private copying
Niamey, Niger (PANA) - A workshop on private copying protection opened on Tuesday in Niamey to take stock of the implementation of copyright in the ECOWAS region.
According to organizers of the meeting, the workshop aims to review the situation of the implementation of private copying in Member States through a better understanding of the provisions of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) in relation to the application of private copying.
It also aims at approving the terms of reference for the recruitment of a consultant to propose a regional text for the applicability of private copying in the Member States.
Opening the workshop, Nigerien Minister of Cultural Renaissance and Social Modernization, Assoumana Malam Issa, pointed out that the culture sector has been perceived in recent years as "the ideal Eldorado to serve both as a bulwark for the preservation and enhancement of cultural identity and a sector that generates significant wealth and provides sustainable employment".
Therefore, he said, "it is imperative for our States to unite their efforts to make our cultural and creative enterprises and industries prosper", in particular by emphasizing the remuneration for private copying.
This is the main objective of the meeting, he explained, which will provide an opportunity to discuss the state of implementation of private copying in the ECOWAS region in order to harmonize the different strategies of States.
Mallam Issa then wanted to share Niger's vision in this sector, as expressed in the Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth Strategy (SDDCI), which aims, by 2035, to implement two essential programmes, namely "improving the professional conditions of cultural actors" and "promoting cultural heritage".
The president of the ECOWAS Regional Observatory on Intellectual Property (EROIP), Mr. Adama Sagnon, highlighted the "urgent need to promote copyright and industrial property rights jointly", as many did not realize to what extent "intellectual property rights are an integral part of our daily lives".
The Niamey meeting follows the meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the ECOWAS, held last July in Cotonou, Benin, which led to the adoption of the ECOWAS Regional Cultural Policy and its Action Plan.
Intellectual Property, the fourth strategic axis of this policy, has as its strategic objective the strengthening of the effectiveness of the regional mechanism for the protection of intellectual property and cultural and artistic education.
The workshop is organized at the initiative of the Department of Education, Science and Culture of the ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with the Niger Copyright Office.
It brings together Directors-General of Copyright of ECOWAS Member States, as well as customs and consumer representatives.
-0- PANA SA/TBM/SOC/MTA/AR 29Oct2019
