•Actress Mercy Johnson-Okojie
Actress and producer Mercy Johnson-Okojie has slammed a Ghanaian TV station for airing her movie “The Firstborn” without her consent.
In an Instagram post, Johnson expressed shock and disappointment at the station’s audacity, questioning how such behavior could be acceptable.
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, reports The Nation.
Omoni Oboli had previously threatened to report Ghanaian TV stations to their president over copyright infringement, calling their actions a disgrace.
Similarly, Bolaji Ogunmola issued a stern warning to content stealers, stating she’s had enough of suffering setbacks due to unauthorised use of her work.
Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam George, in April, responded to allegations by Nigerian filmmakers, including Bimbo Ademoye and Omoni Oboli, over the unauthorised broadcast of their films on Ghanaian television stations.
Addressing the concerns raised by Ademoye, George assured that the matter would be taken up with the minister responsible for TV content regulation.
He reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to upholding intellectual property rights and promised appropriate measures would be taken to protect creators’ works.
The minister also highlighted the importance of strengthening ties between Ghana and Nigeria’s film industries, pointing to the mutual benefits of increased collaboration.
Addressing Ademoye, he wrote: “@bimboademoye, 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”.
