Piracy reduces market for African productions

Nearly always, we write about copyright issues is the West. There, where a strong copyright tradition is troubled by technical change. Despite these problems, rights holders can rely on the support of courts that aim to enforce and protect these rights.

Not every country has such strong copyright systems. West Africa, for example, a region with a large creative community, lacks such a system. The development of a  strong creative industry is hampered by rampant piracy in many West African countries. According to The Monitor’s website, piracy levels in many West African countries often reach 90%.  And no country in Africa has a piracy level of under 25%, although it is unclear what exactly is meant by the ‘piracy level’.

The consequence is that artists and producers only have a very short time to recoup their investment. Very quickly after an album or movie proves successful, it finds its way to the back market.

The problem is twofold. First of all, pirates reduce the sales, and therefore the income of the artist, by selling illegal copies at a fraction of the price. Secondly, pirates flood the market with cheap copies of Western, mostly American music and films. The producers of which have been able to earn their wages being protected by copyright in their home countries. So local artists find themselves at a disadvantage.

This makes it increasingly hard for artists and producers to create works, leading to a vicious cycle of lower income and lower investments. And that when the typical budget of $25.000 for a Nollywood (Nigerian) movie is not all that high compared to our standards. The most expensive Nigerian movie ever, Close Enemies, cost $300.000, but was produced in Hollywood and distributed worldwide.