Copyright Act
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http://www.nigeria-law.org/CopyrightAct.htm
(b) imports or causes to be imported into Nigeria more than two
infringing copies of such work; or
(c) makes, causes to be made, or has in his possession, any plate,
master tape, machine, equipment or contrivance for purpose of making
any infringing copy of any such work; shall, unless he proves to the
satisfaction of the court that he did not know and had no reason to
believe that any such copy was not an infringing copy of any such
work, or that such plate, master tape, machine, equipment or
contrivance for purpose of making any infringing copy of any such
work, be guilty of an offence under this Act and shall be liable on
conviction to a fine of an amount not exceeding N1,000 for every copy
dealt with in contravention of this section or to a term of imprisonment
not exceeding five years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
(2) Any person who(a) sells or lets hire or for purpose of trade or business, exposes or
offers for sale, or hires any infringing copy of any work in which
copyright subsists; or
(b) distributes for the purposes of trade or business any infringing
copy of any such work; or
(c) has in his possession other than for his private or domestic use,
any infringing copy of any such work,
shall, unless he proves to the satisfaction of the court that he did not
know and had no reason to believe that any such copy was not an
infringing copy of any such work, be guilty of an offence under this
Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of an amount not
exceeding N 1,000 for every copy dealt with in contravention of this
section or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or in the
case of an individual to both such fine and imprisonment.
(3) Any person who, without the consent of the owner, distributes, in public for commercial
purposes, copies of a work in which copyright subsists by virtue of sections 5(1)(a)(vi), 5(1)(c)(iv),
6(1)(b) or 7(1)(c) of this Act by way of rental, lease, hire, loan or similar arrangement, shall be
guilty of an offence under this Act, and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine of N 100 for every
copy dealt with or imprisonment for six months on or to both such fine and imprisonment.
(4) (1) The court before which any proceedings are taken for any offence under subsections (1), (2)
and (3) of this section, whether the alleged offender is convicted or not, may order all copies of the
works, plates, master tape, machine, equipment or contrivance in the possession of the alleged
offender, which appear, to be infringing copies, of the works, to be destroyed or delivered up to the
owner of the copyright or otherwise dealt with as the court may think fit.
(5) Where an article has been seized by a police officer or an authorised officer in connection with a
suspected offence under this Act, a court may on the application of the Attorney-General of the
Federation of owner of the copyright in connection with which such offence is suspected to have
been committed, order that the article be destroyed or delivered up to the owner of the copyright or
otherwise dealt with as the court may think fit, notwithstanding that no person has been charged with
the suspected offence.
19. (1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a body corporate, the body corporate and every
person who at the time the offence was committed was in charge of, or was responsible to the body corporate shall
be deemed to be guilty of such offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:
Provided that nothing contained in this subsection shall render any person liable to any punishment, if he proves that
the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission
of such offence.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (1) of this section, where an offence under this
Act has been committed by a body corporate and it is proved that the offence was committed with the
consent or connivance of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the body corporate such
director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and
shall be liable to be proceeding against and punished accordingly.
(3) For the purposes of this section"body corporate" includes a firm or other association of persons; and
"director" in relation to a firm includes a partner in the firm.
20. Any person who-
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