Nigerian Copyright Commission v. Stephen Igwe

Nigerian Copyright Commission v. Stephen Igwe


NIPJD Citation	NIPJD/FHC/2012/FHC-B-26C-12
Document Type	Case Record
Court	Federal High Court, Benin Judicial Division
Suit No.	FHC/B/26C/12
Decision Date	22 June 2012
Jurisdiction	Nigeria
Area of Law	Copyright
Subject	Sound Recording Piracy; Cinematograph Film Piracy
Status	Conviction
Source Reliability	Official Government Publication

Case Summary

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) prosecuted Stephen Igwe before the Federal High Court, Benin Judicial Division, for offences involving sound recording and cinematograph film piracy.

According to official publications issued by the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the court convicted the defendant on 22 June 2012 in Suit No. FHC/B/26C/12 and sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment with the option of a ₦18,000 fine. The Commission also reported that the prosecution was conducted by Chief Copyright Officer Mike Okezie Madueke, Esq., and that no defence counsel appeared.

Available Information

Based on the available official publications, the following information has been confirmed:

Defendant: Stephen Igwe
Prosecuting agency: Nigerian Copyright Commission
Court: Federal High Court, Benin Judicial Division
Suit No.: FHC/B/26C/12
Nature of offence: Sound recording and cinematograph film piracy
Date of judgment: 22 June 2012
Outcome: Conviction
Sentence: Three months’ imprisonment with the option of a ₦18,000 fine
Prosecution counsel: Chief Copyright Officer Mike Okezie Madueke, Esq.
Defence counsel: None reported.

Why This Case Matters

This case forms part of the Nigerian Copyright Commission’s copyright enforcement activities in 2012. It demonstrates the Commission’s continued prosecution of offences involving the unauthorized reproduction and distribution of sound recordings and cinematograph films before the Federal High Court as part of its anti-piracy efforts.

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Sources