Lagos Clamps Down On Sellers Of Pirated, Phonographic Films
Lagos State Government on Tuesday clamped down on sellers of pirated , pornographic and other unclassified films , burning films and equipment worth over N10,million.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Film and Censors Board (LSFVCB) Mr. Dele Balogun who disclosed this to journalists in Lagos said the films burnt included pirated and unclassified local and international movies as well as duplicating machines.
Balogun, said raiding and burning of all confiscated illegal movies was being done to discourage people dealing in such items to desist from doing so, saying it would be a continuous effort to rid the state of the sale of such items , while those that were caught with the burnt films had been prosecuted.
He added that the agency decided to clamp down on sellers of pirated and unclassified films in Ijora and Ikorodu confiscating the items because of proliferation in the axis.
Balogun said the state government had been inundated with complaints from artists about the problem of infringement of their intellectual property rights.
“We are aware of the possible consequences of this problem on the entertainment industry as a whole. Besides, some individuals sell films that did not pass through the process of censorship which are all products of piracy.
“Whilst the State Government was concerned about this trend, especially as artistes were not getting maximum benefits from their works one of the ways to assist the industry was to intensify effort against the practice and sale of such items.
“Whereas Nigerian artistes and bodies in the entertainment industry have a role to play in the fight because some of their members are involved in the practice, I wish to commend the Yoruba Movie Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (YOVIPMAN) who had collaborated with the Board in the past on this campaign,” the Executive Secretary said.
He urged other bodies to emulate the gesture so as to sustain the war against sale of illegal movies.
Balogun who reiterated the state government commitment to the growth and development of the entertainment industry, assured that as a regulatory body in the sector, no stone would be left unturned to achieve this objective.
Reacting to the complaint of harassment during film shooting by miscreants popularly known as Area Boys, Balogun reminded practitioners in the film industry on the need to always obtain film shooting permit from the agency for any shooting within the state.
He assured that obtaining such a permit is a guarantee against such harassment.
