Fighting piracy in Ghana

Mr Sampson Boafo, Ashanti Region Minister, has called on practitioners in the music industry to help develop faith in the Gamugram and patronise it to fight piracy and promote the industry.

Gamugram, instituted by the National Anti-Piracy Committee on Music to fight piracy, is an improved system of authenticating sound recordings. "Since it has worked in other places to the benefit of musicians it would definitely work in Ghana with faith and determination backed by the efforts of all and sundry".

He was speaking at the launch of the Gamugram system and the opening of a two-day seminar on Copyright under the theme, "Enforcement of Copyright As a Tool for National Development'' in Kumasi on Wednesday. Mr Boafo said, "It is rather unfortunate that the current legislation that protects music and other copyrights -PNDC Law 110 - is not deterrent enough to prevent people from pirating.

"In my capacity as a Member of Parliament and also a member of the Bar Association, I assure you that I will lobby and initiate moves to amend this legislation to ensure that the law is deterrent enough to prevent people from indulging in piracy".

Mr Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, Ashanti Region Head of the Copyright Office, noted that piracy was on the increase and was depriving musicians, writers, artists, publishers and producers of their genuine income. He said in 1992 a similar device, the Banderole, was introduced aimed at assisting the law enforcement agencies to identify pirated works.

"Nearly a decade after, we now find ourselves having to start all over again because the system that was introduced in 1992 collapsed", he said. Dr. Kodwo Edusei, Dean of the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said it was not enough to have copyrights if it was not enforced.

He therefore called on all concerned to help in the fight against piracy. Renowned musicians, producers, members of the bar and the bench and lecturers from the College of Arts, attended the seminar.