Parliamentary committee on legal affairs holds forum

Kumasi, Feb 23, GNA - A suggestion has been made for the formation of a National Copyright Board to see to authentication, anti-piracy security devices and all issues that affect the interest and welfare of Ghanaian intellectual property producers.

Reverend Francis Boahene, secretary of musical producers of Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and the three Northern regions made the suggestion when contributing at a forum organised by the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to enable stakeholders make contributions to the draft copyright bill. Musicians, producers, authors, publishers and filmmakers attended the forum.

Rev Boahene said such a board should emerge as a new body from the Copyright Administration of Ghana (COSGHA) by addressing some of its defects such as strengthening its composition to include all stakeholders, ensuring transparency and maintaining a healthy communication, co-ordination and co-operation between stakeholders in the Northern sector.

He said though there are such defects currently in the COSGHA, it should not be scrapped entirely but the loopholes must be plugged so that it would emerge as a more effective body seeking the protection and welfare of stakeholders, adding, "the fact that there is a leakage in the roof does not mean that the whole edifice must be destroyed, the leakage must be mended".

Rev Boahene was echoing the voice of most contributors since this view was the consensus at the forum with a lot of contributors expressing disagreement with section 49 of the bill which states in part that "authors, producers, performers and publishers may form collective administrative societies for the promotion and protection of their interest".

Most of the contributors were of the view that the proliferation of collective administration societies will create problems for them and in the end not be able to serve and protect their interest. Mr Daniel Amponsah alias Agya Koo Nimo of 'Adadam' fame, expressed dissatisfaction about the short notice given to stakeholders about the forum and the fact that copies of the draft bill could not be made accessible and available for participants at the forum to peruse beforehand to enable them make useful contributions.

Agya Koo Nimo expressed dissent about section 64 of the bill, which states, "Ghanaian folklore music producers should be made to pay fees. This he believed was unfair since it was a legacy handed down to posterity by their forefathers".

Earlier, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwamang and Chairman of the committee, said the idea of coming down to the regions to organise such forum a was an attempt to stretch the frontiers of democracy and to enable people for whom the laws are made to make valuable inputs thereby having a stake in the making of the law that will affect them.

Mr Mohammed Mumuni, MP for Tolon/Kumbungu and ranking member of the committee, for his part said, the forum which was held at Ho last year, is part of an outreach programme of parliament to involve the public as consumers of the law. He said since copyright is part of the constitution, it must be able to protect the intellectual property they create by their own ingenuity so that it can be handed down to their kins when they are no more.

Mr Mumuni emphasised that the draft bill has not been printed in iron and steel, which implied that it could be changed. 23 FEB. 04