Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement in Nigeria: A Prop for Music Industry

ugly practices which undercut the economic benefit of the intellectual property of these talented artistes. There is no doubt that the copyright law has been developed and established in Nigeria, but the strategies that have been put in place to ensure its effective implementation and the opportunities provided for the copyright owners to maximally exploit their rights are in question. This paper seeks to address the need for the Nigerian Copyright Act to undergo reformation in order to enhance the protection which the law purports to afford the owners or authors of the copyrighted works in the music industry. The paper also critically examined the strategies already in place and what needs to be done towards making the Copyright Act more acceptable and beneficial to all intellectual property owners which invariably will encourage the spirit of creativity and productivity in the music industry. The investigation applied historical and other related resource materials as working tools. The paper concludes by suggesting that Nigerian government should form a formidable force through public enlightenment, collaboration among agencies, and with the copyrights owners’ cooperation in order to enhance effective enforcement of intellectual property rights which will go a long way in boosting the music industry in Nigeria.