Actress and producer Mercy Johnson-Okojie has called out a Ghanaian TV station for airing her movie “The Firstborn” without her consent.
In an Instagram post on July 19, Johnson expressed shock and disappointment at the station’s audacity to air her movie without following due process.
She wrote: “Ghana, Blazing TV. How is this even ok? Blazing TV in Ghana is showing my movie, The Firstborn, on their TV without my consent. How does this even make sense? How?
“I am speechless at the audacity of it all”.
Mercy Johnson’s reaction joins the growing concern over copyright infringement in the Nollywood industry as other Nollywood personalities have also spoken out against unauthorised use of their content.
Similarly, Omoni Oboli and Bimbo Ademoye had previously threatened to take legal actions against some Ghanaian TV stations over copyright infringement.
Few days later, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam George and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Film Authority (NFA) assured Nigerian producer and actress, Bimbo Ademoye of resolving issues about copyright violations and protect her intellectual property rights in Ghana.
He noted that government is committed to upholding intellectual property laws.
“My attention has been drawn to your post thanks to the tag. I would be raising the issue with my colleague minister responsible for overseeing television content.
“I, however wish to assure you that our government is very respectful of intellectual property rights and would ensure the protection of same. I believe Ghana and Nigeria have so much we can continue to collaborate on for our mutual benefit,” he wrote.
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