The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has taken a drastic step against piracy and counterfeiting in Nigeria with the attendant implications for safety of investments in the creative arts and other sectors.
To achieve this laudable objective, the global body has constituted a working group that would give the fight against the social vices an effective backing in Nigeria.
The ICC delegation drawn from France; Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, UAE; Sweden and Nigeria converged in Lagos, where the dangers of counterfeiting and piracy were again examined and solutions proferred.
In his address to the forum, Mr. Babatunde Savage, Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce Nigeria, said that counterfeiting constituted serious damage to the market dynamics, as it undermines the revenue generation through custom duties and taxes.
Represented by Mrs. Olubunmi Osuntuyi, Secretary General, ICC Nigeria, Savage pointed out that the menace had exposed consumers to serious health and safety risks over the years.
He said: “Counterfeiting and piracy have become a global epidemic, leading to a significant drain of the global economy, jeopardizing investments in innovation and risking consumer health and safety; thereby resulting in loss of jobs.”
In response to this problem, the chairman said ICC launched the BASCAP initiative to unite the global business community across all product sectors in order to address issues associated with intellectual property theft and to petition for greater commitments by local, national and international officials in the area of enforcement and protection of intellectual property rights.
BASCAP is an operational platform established by ICC that connects all business sectors and cuts across all national borders in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy.
Savage noted that the volume and value of counterfeiting and piracy was increasing rapidly; thereby threatening governments, and civil society with unsafe and ineffective products.
He, therefore, charged the audience at the forum that business needs to play its role in ensuring that open economies and the rule of law work for the benefit of all countries and their nationals. He advised that they should find lasting solutions that would create equitable opportunities for every willing person to participate in growth.
Supporting the ICC Nigeria Chairman’s position, Sophie Peresson, the Paris, France-based BASCAP Director, said that BASCAP had, since its inception, created a powerful voice for businesses and compelled government actions and allocation of resources towards strengthened intellectual property rights enforcement.
Peresson, who was represented by Tracy Faustin, BASCAP Project Manager, disclosed that the opportunity to engage on the African continent started with a BASCAP invitation to speak at a conference hosted in Kenya by the East African Business Community (EABC).
She disclosed that the forum developed into collaborative partnerships with the Kenyan Anti-Counterfeit Agency, a government established association overseeing matters related to counterfeiting and piracy.
According to her, Nigeria was later selected as a priority country to start building a BASCAP presence on the ground, which prompted the meeting.
The ICC is the world’s business organisation, representing over 6 million companies of all sizes and sectors and chambers of commerce in more than 100 countries. Nigeria became a member over 30 years ago, sequel to the realization of the benefits accruable from becoming a member.
