A 23-year-old man, Eze Obasi, has been arrested for allegedly selling pirated copies of Nollywood movies.
The 23-year-old secondary school leaver was arrested while selling a popular movie, ‘Invasion 1897’, produced by Imasuen Lancelot.
The Ebonyi State indigene was apprehended after the marketer of the movie, Gabriel Okoye of G-Media Limited, caught him selling the movie in traffic.
Obasi, however, denied reproducing the movie, adding that he sold it to make ends meet.
He said, “I came to Lagos in 2011, shortly after I finished my secondary school. My uncle gave me some money to start my own business. I started selling foreign movies which I was getting from Alaba International Market. I started selling local DVDs last year, and I sold them for N100.
“On Tuesday, I was about selling this DVD (Invasion 1897) to someone on a bus at 11am, when I was caught. I sell these DVDs because I need to feed and pay my rent. I also want to further my education.”
Okoye, in his statement to the police, said he had caught the suspect on several occasions and he had been made to sign an undertaking not to sell pirated movies again.
He said, “We have arrested him on two occasions in the past for infringement on the rights of producing such films like ‘October 1’, ‘Phone Swap’ by Kunle Afolayan and ‘Tango with me’ by Mahmod Ali-Balogun, all distributed by G-Media.
“In one of such cases, he wrote an undertaking that he won’t engage in piracy of people’s works.”
The Ojo Police Division arrested the suspect and transferred the matter to the Nigeria Copy Rights Commission.
The movie producer, Imasuen, said he was surprised that pirated copies of his movie had flooded the market.
He said he only gave the exclusive rights for the distribution of the movie to G-Media, adding that he had never had any business transaction with Obasi.
The NCRC arraigned the suspect before an Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court on three counts of piracy.
The charge read in part, “That you, Eze Obasi, on March 1, 2016, within the Lagos Magisterial District, did make for the purpose of trade or business 177 infringing copies of video CDs titled, ‘Invasion 1897’, in which the copyright subsists in favour of Lancelot Imasuen.”
The prosecution counsel, Mrs. Linda Durugbo, said the offence was punishable under section 20 (1) (2) (a), of the Copyright Act, Cap C28, Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The defendant said he was not guilty of the offence and elected summary trial.
Durugbo asked the court to remand the defendant in prison.
The Chief Magistrate, I.O. Adelaja, however, said the offence was bailable under the law.
“He is therefore, admitted to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum,” she added.
The case was adjourned till April 26, 2015.
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