Police have charged Metropolitan Television, a private TV station, with copyright violations contrary to section 45 of PNDC Law 110.
Representatives of the company, Mr. Fadi Fattal, Board Member and Mr. Gerald Ankrah, Assistant Manager are to appear before an Accra Circuit Tribunal today (Thursday) following a complaint by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation against Metro TV for pirating their transmission of the CAN 2002.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Patrick Adusei Sarpong said the law stipulated: "any person who infringes any copyright or neighbouring right of another person under this law shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 10,000 cedis and not exceeding 1,000,000 cedis or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both."
"In the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not less than 5,000 cedis and not exceeding 50,000 cedis for each day during which the offence continues."
He, however, noted that punishment under the law had been amended to conform to current trends.
Mr. Sarpong said Metro TV in 1998 signed an agreement with TV Africa to receive and broadcast programmes of the latter under certain conditions. However, in October 2001 TV Africa wrote to Metro TV terminating the contract, effective December 31. He said subsequently TV Africa signed an agreement with Ghana Television and was granted exclusive rights to telecast the CAN 2002 matches in Ghana.
Mr. Sarpong said the two accused persons, however, pirated the signals of GTV and telecast the match played on the January 19, live using Ghana Television logo as well.
The situation had become a source of worry to TV Africa that deemed it devastating to their interest and had threatened to terminate the signal to the GBC.
Mr. Fattal said they had not received any summons from the Police.
