MUSIGA President suggests special levies

Accra, June 11, GNA - Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has suggested that special levies be imposed on manufacturers of digital and computerised recording facilities like ipod and mp3 to pacify owners of intellectual property rights such as musicians and book publishers whose works these equipment are used to pirate.

Addressing the General Executive Council meeting of the International Federation of Musicians in Tennessee, USA, Alhaji Buari said it was important to take measures against such manufacturers because their products were inflicting untold harm on the finances of most musicians, especially in Africa.

A statement issued by the Union in Accra on Monday said Alhaji Buari pointed out that the advent of the machines had helped to impoverish most musicians and other intellectual property rights owners so much that most of them were finding it difficult to make ends meet. The MUSIGA President said most of these products were manufactured in the industrialised countries only to be shipped to Africa where piracy was rife.

He called for stringent punishment for people who flout the copyright law. The President of the Federation John Smith expressed concern about the development saying the Federation had to take the matter up with the manufacturers for decency to prevail. 11 June 07