NBA to partner Nollywood to fight piracy

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Augustine Alegeh, on Friday in Abuja said that the association would partner stakeholders in the nation’s entertainment industry to curb piracy.

Alegeh told newsmen in Abuja that it was part of the recommendations reached at the NBA 55th Annual General Conference (AGM) held in Abuja.

“Having noted that piracy undermines national development, the NBA shall work more closely with the talent-based industries including movie, music, arts and sports to curb the menace of piracy.

“We also call on government to strengthen institutions set up for the eradication of the menace,’’ Alegeh said.

The NBA president also said the conference agreed to take steps to get more lawyers interested in the talent-based industry by providing legal support to it.

He said that to facilitate the collaboration, a committee had been set up to engage and define a platform for rendering meaningful services to the entertainment industry.

“A lot of our artists today have what we call slave contracts; contracts that restrain them from doing things that they are constitutionally entitled to do.

“I think this was made possible because there was no collaboration between the bar and the industry but that will change,’’ Alegeh said.

He said the NBA would continuously pursue systemic reforms in the legal system in Nigeria in order to enhance national development