Copyright Seizes 7,000 CDs

When the Copyright Office recently bore its teeth at audio-visual and music pirates, it seized as many as 7,632 copies of pirated CDs within three days.

The joint exercise undertaken by the National Anti-Piracy Task Force of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service and the Police led to the arrest of 12 suspects included Nigerians, Ghanaians and Nigeriens.

The operation was undertaken at the CEPS checkpoint at Dadala Junction in the Volta region. Those arrested included Colombus Chibueze who had 3,726 copies of CDs with him; Laji Musah, Fofamour Mamoudou and Doububia had in their possession a total of 2,000 copies.

Others were Mumuni Tetteh, 503; Samuel Onyian 204; Mensah Johnson, 249, Faruku Adamu. 354; Dauda Abubakari, 117; Gilbert Yeboah, 245, Ibrahim Fuseini, 24 and Ibrahim Ali, 27.

The CDs seized included foreign and local music and movies. The local artistes affected were Slim Busterr, Kojo Antwi, Daddy Lumba, Nana Acheampong, Esther Smith, Christina Love and Ama Boahemaa, among others.

The Copyright Administrator and Chairman of the National Anti-Piracy Committee, Mr. B. K. Bosumprah said ?the Copyright Office would continue to enforce the law on piracy?.

?The general public should desist from patronizing pirated works and support us?, he advised.

The suspects will soon be put before court and those found to possess pornographic materials will face additional charges under Section 280 of the Criminal Code of 1960.