Exploring copyright challenges of digital marketing in Nollywood using “Omoni Oboli TV”

Abstract

The quest to regulate filmmaking processes emanate from the premise that without copyright restrictions, operational chaos is inevitable. This is worsened by the evolving digital preference for speedy film production and distribution processes without recourse to the ethical implications of such to the national image, economy and the creative artists involved. The paucity of detailed researches on the effects of digital marketing to the copyright adherence processes in Nollywood’s digitally-based film-selling companies necessitates this study. This explains why the study focuses on Omoni Oboli Tv (a YouTube-based platform), to assess the challenges facing copyright compliance in a country with grossly limited digitally-inclined intellectual property protection processes. This study seeks to raise awareness regarding the persistent copyright infringement cases involving the Omoni Oboli Tv with the view of sensitising the appropriate regulatory authorities and practitioners on the dangers of not rejuvenating the Nigerian Copyright Act to reflect the existing realities of digitalized film marketing. This qualitative study adopts thematic interpretation to assess the infringement patterns identified in Omoni Oboli Tv. The study discovers that the analogue Nigerian Copyright Act limits the overwhelmed regulatory agencies thereby making them almost redundant in a digital era. The study recommends an urgent review of the Copyright Act in Nigeria to accommodate modern digital realities in a bid to reposition Nigeria’s international business image. Finally, there is an urgent need to revamp the existing Copyright Act to reflect to smoothen the ease of doing professional business while increasing the internally generated revenue for government.