By Yunus S Saliu
The much awaited Copyright Act 2004 and its Regulations 2018 was Tuesday launched at the National Center for Arts and Culture.
The Copyright Regulations which was launched 20th March 2019 by the acting Director General of National Center for Arts and Culture was endorsed in 2018 by the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hamat Bah and later published in the public gazette.
Launching the Copyright Regulations 2018, Hassoum Ceesay, the acting Director General of the NCAC said the Regulations spelt out mode of operation of the collecting society of The Gambia, how it will works, the eligible works for protection, nature and vesting rights, the duration for protection, permitted use of copyright works, protection of performers, broadcasting organizations, sound recording producers, and audio visual producers, registration of works with NCAC, offence of infringement of copyright works and various civil remedies among others.
Since the Copyright Regulations now in full force, he said more staffs have been recruited in carrying out the daily activities of the copyright among the officers are the copyright officer and copyright inspectors.
Sanna Jawara, Copyright Officer at NCAC said the Copyright office is to invoke, promote and protect creativity in the country, which has the potentials of getting the country to an enviable level of sustainable development.
He explained that the Gambia creative industry must be seen in active action and dream the path to future where creativity shall never be a threat to anyone.
The Copyright Officer added that enforcement of this 2004 Copyright Act and the 2018 Copyright Regulations, Laws of The Gambia comes at the right time taking into cognizant the global affairs in the 21st Century which characterized by advancement in science and technological revolution.
He therefore solicited for the support and cooperation of all stakeholders, including the media towards the successful implementation of the Copyright Regulations.