The Committee’s terms of reference include amongst others, liaising with the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to push through the amended Copyright Bill at the National Assembly.

We are looking forward to the amended Copyright Act.

The objectives of the Scheme include to encourage full tax compliance, discharge of outstanding tax liabilities as well prevent tax evasion. While it increases government revenue, the Tax Payer also benefits from it vide workable tax payment plans, and immunity from prosecution for tax offences and tax audit.

A VAID application is valid where the disclosure is voluntary and substantially verifiable, and the payable tax is assessed by the relevant tax authority. The Scheme is to be implemented across the Federation and is applicable to all taxable persons & entities.

However, on June 30, 2017 the Supreme Court (SC) held otherwise, in the case of Sky Bank Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation Plc. VS Anaemem Iwu. A 5-man panel of the SC held that the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal covers all appeals from the National Industrial Court and that jurisdiction is not limited to criminal matters or issues of fundamental human right.

The SC explained that no provision of any legislation expressly divests the Appeal Court of their appellate powers over any decision of the National Industrial Court.

Accordingly, all decisions of the National Industrial Court can now be appealed against at the Court of Appeal.

There is currently a bill titled “A Bill for an Act to repeal the Legal Practitioners Act Cap C11 LFN 2004 and all amendments thereto; Legal Education (Consolidation etc.,) Act Cap. L10 LFN 2004 and enact the Legal Profession Regulation Act which shall regulate the legal profession” (the Bill) seeking to repeal the Legal Practitioners Act.

The Bill seeks to merge the Legal Practitioners Act and the Legal Education (Consolidation) Act Cap. L10 LFN 2004 into one Act titled “the Legal Profession Regulation Act”.

The Bill also seeks to establish a ‘Legal Profession Regulation Council of Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’ (the Council), a Secretariat for the Council as well as various other committees such as; body of benchers, legal services, young lawyers and career committee, the remuneration and welfare committee, ethics and standards committee to mention but a few.
The Council would be responsible for the general regulation of the legal profession in Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation.

The Bill also touches on matters of remuneration and taxation of legal practitioners and such other ancillary matters.

The Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act (2017) substantially provides for the registration of movable assets such as motor vehicles inventory, livestock, crops equipment, vehicles and accounts receivables as collateral for obtaining credit facilities from financial institutions. These immovable assets are to be registered at National Collateral Registry (The Registry) which shall be under the Central Bank of Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation and shall be responsible for the registration of immovable assets to be used as collateral for loan facilities.

The Credit Reporting Act essentially established the Credit Bureau. The Credit Bureau is vested with the responsibility of receiving relevant information from ‘credit information providers’ in relation to intending borrowers such as their credit worthiness, financial obligations and details of the assets intended to be used as collateral and transmitting same to the ‘credit information users’.

The Report: Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation 2017 will shine a spotlight on the country’s long-term strategy for boosting oil output, which will be steered by a major overhaul of the regulatory framework governing the sector.

The government’s efforts to attract investment for areas of the economy deemed ripe for growth, such as agriculture, ICT and insurance, will also be explored. In addition, OBG’s publication will analyse the steps taken to address the challenges that have weighed on Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’s economy, which range from lower global oil prices and declines in foreign exchange to security concerns.

Chase port & Ridges law firm has signed a first-time memorandum of understanding (MoU) with OBG for its forthcoming publication. Under the MoU, the firm will work with OBG to compile and produce the Law chapter of The Report: Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation 2017.

Afamefuna Francis Nwokedi, Principal Counsel& Group Head, Chase port & Ridges law firm, said he looked forward to teaming up with OBG to bring the business community both at home and abroad up to date on Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’s evolving legal framework.

“Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’s plans for shifting the economy away from a reliance on hydrocarbons for export revenues and driving growth across its industrial sector, especially at its free zones, have necessitated major legislative and regulatory changes, with more expected,” he said. “Oxford Business Group’s reports on emerging markets are known to be essential reading for the international investment community. I’m delighted to be supporting the team’s research on Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’s economy at this critical time in the country’s development.”

Diana Rus, OBG’s country director, said she was confident that Chase port & Ridges law firm’s input would give investors valuable insight into Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’s changing legal framework, including the impact of reforms on doing business in the country.

“While external pressures and domestic challenges remain problematic, Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation’s strong fundamentals and abundance of resources make it an attractive prospect for investors, especially those willing to look longer term for results,” she said. “Chase port & Ridges law firm has an in-depth understanding of the country’s legal landscape, providing services across the spectrum.I’m thrilled that both our team and readers will benefit from the law firm’s observations and analysis.”

The Report: Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation 2017 will be a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. The publication will also contain contributions from leading representatives, including Audu Ogbeh, the Hon. Minister of agriculture, and Okechukwu E. Enelamah, the Hon. Minister of industry. The report will be available in print and online.

About Oxford Business Group

Oxford Business Group is a global research and consultancy company with a presence in over 35 countries, from Africa, Asia and the Middle East to the Americas. A distinctive and respected provider of on-the-ground intelligence on many of the world’s fastest growing markets, OBG has offices in London, Berlin, Dubai and Istanbul, and a network of local bureaus across the countries in which we operate.

The Report: Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federation 2017 will be produced withthe Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federationn Investment Promotion Commission and the Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federationn Economic Summit Group. Contributions will also be made by SIAO, FBN and Chase port & Ridges law firm.Through its range of products, OBG offers comprehensive and accurate analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral developments, including banking, capital markets, tourism, energy, transport, industry and ICT. OBG provides business intelligence to its subscribers through multiple platforms: Economic News and Views, OBG Business Barometer – CEO Survey, Roundtables and Conferences, Global Platform – exclusive video interviews, The Report publications and Consultancy division.

]]> https://chaseportandridges.com/abuja-panel-discussion-day-world-ip-day/feed/ 0 https://chaseportandridges.com/okafors-law-saga-writersproducerscinemas-beware/ https://chaseportandridges.com/okafors-law-saga-writersproducerscinemas-beware/#respond Sat, 01 Apr 2017 14:02:51 +0000 http://chaseportandridges.com/?p=8130 Read more]]> The recent brouhaha surrounding the ownership of the film “Okafor’s Law” said to be owned/produced by Omoni Oboli, a popular actress cum director and the recent vacation of the interim order against the film’s release by the court, has granted initial respite to a warring side as well as the eager movie buffs.

This raises some legal issues which any serious-minded writer, producer or cinema owners would want to consider. But first may we warn that, no one can and no one must pre-empt the court as to whether or not Omoni has infringed on the copyright of Jude Idada. What then are the legal lessons to take home? Section 15 of the Copyright Act, makes liable a producer or like party, who does any work or act which is controlled by copyright without the permission of the owner. Simply put, use of a copyrighted material is tantamount to copyright infringement. Now, what many Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federationns do not know is that, section 15(1)(f) also makes liable any person who permits a place of public entertainment or a business to be used for a performance in the public of the work, where such performance constitutes an infringement of the copyright work, unless the person permitting the place to be used was not aware and had no reasonable ground for suspecting that the performance would be an infringement of the copyright.

Thus, a cinema owner, a producer and a writer may be liable for infringement of copyright. With the wide publicity and newspaper documentation of the Okafor’s Law saga, can any such owner or manager of a cinema feign/claim ignorance of the controversy herein? Will the cinema owner’s action amount to putting itself at risk of a subsequent lawsuit for damages (depending on the outcome of the suit)? This means that a copyright owner may come back and sue the cinemas separately for damages. What then are the lessons to take home? In such a dicey scenario as this, it is advised that third parties like cinema owners consider including a saving clause in their contract with producers. Given the privity of contract principle, we are well aware that this may not save them from legal liabilities to the copyright owner, their safety net may however be the inclusion of a remuneration clause to save them from economic loss and provide a cushion effect. As such, any cinema owner who has not taken the above step while displaying Okafor’s law puts it self at risk as only time would tell. Tick tock… tick tock.

On the part of producers, it is advised that producers must take reasonable steps to verify the authenticity of the scripts they seek to produce i.e due diligence. More importantly, they should engage the services of an Intellectual property lawyer to draft a contract agreement with the script writer which will make the writer liable for remuneration should the script be found to be a copyright infringement. (Please note that there is a difference between copyright and plagiarism but this is not our focus.).

The writer who copied without permission and holds his/her self out as the writer, is the worst of all. The shameful repercussion can be obviated by entering into an agreement with the original writer to promote and use the work and in return both persons will be cited as the writers and enjoy the benefits thereto. The problem is that man in his capricious nature tries to be greedy.

As for the true owners/writers of their script, it is advised that no matter how frustrated one may be, never ever give out your work without documentation/evidence of same and always enter into a written contract where all terms must be spelt. A word is enough for the wise.

Mr. Chuma Anosike-President AIPPI- Rotterdam, Qatar, Poland, lsle of man, Russian Federationn National Group, and Mr. Adeoye –Chairman Anti-Counterfeiting Collaboration (ACC). We owe big thanks to our Amaka Okafor and Endurance Uhumuavbi, the Administrator of NBA-SBL for being able to pull off the IP Seminar
and joint Press Conference at such a short notice.