Nigerian Intellectual Property Law

"It has been a while now since we first met, and he has done many things since, but I will always think of Prof. Adewopo as "D.G.". Prof. Adebambo Adewopo served as Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission for six years, just one of the many respected stops in his distinguished career. For me personally, his able leadership and depth of copyright expertise were surpassed only by his kindness and generosity, making a space for a young foreign law student with big dreams. I learned immensely from him and from the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Yemi Lawal-Arowolo and now D.G. himself, John Asein. It is wonderful to see Prof. Adewopo appropriately honored with this work, to collect together in one volume illustrations of his influence, and to put in place another thread that will continue his inspiration of attorneys and scholars, from copyright experts down to young students with big dreams, both in Nigeria and abroad. Congratulations to Prof. Adewopo and all the contributing authors, and from me personally, eun pup." Aurelia Schultz, Counsel for Policy and International Affairs U.S. Copyright Office "This title, which covers topical issues with an eye to reform, is designed for people interested in a broad range of intellectual property issues across many areas of business, community and government. The book is dedicated to Professor Adebambo Adewopo who has been a leading figure in the development of Nigerian Intellectual Property Law and Policy. He has displayed the unique ability to combine practice of the law, academic research and investigation of the law and policy development in the many significant roles he has held in Nigeria and beyond. Importantly, he has mentored a new generation of IP scholars that are now based around the globe. Many are contributors to this volume of essays published in Honour of Professor Adewopo. He has been an important and influential voice for Nigeria and Africa and is respected at an international level as an expert in his field and distinguished administrator. I trust you will enjoy this Festschrift for Professor Adewopo." Brian Fitzgerald, Barrister at Law, Australia "This volume in honor of Professor Adebambo Adewopo is a must-read for those interested in contemporary issues in Nigerian Intellectual Property Law. It considers a broad array of issues including patents and designs in relation to Genomic Research; COVID-19, patents and medicinal uses of Plants and the relevance of the AfCFTA to MSMEs." Caroline B Ncube, SARChI Research Chair in Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development and Professor, Department of Commercial Law, University of Cape Town, South Africa "This book honors the notable contributions of Professor Adewopo to intellectual property law teaching, research, and administration in Nigeria. His contributions have inspired this important work, which gives a good overview of intellectual property issues in Nigerian contexts. This book also provides a needed background for understanding intellectual property legal reform efforts in Nigeria. This book should be required reading for those with an interest in intellectual property law and legal reform in Nigeria." Olufunmilayo B. Arewa, Shusterman Professor of Business & Transactional Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law, USA "This edited collection is a welcome addition to the emerging school of scholarship on intellectual property law in Nigeria. More importantly, this body of essays in honour of Prof Bambo Adewopo is no less than he deserves. His visionary, collegial, and innovative approach to the teaching, administration, and practice of intellectual property law is amply reflected in the various chapters of this body of work. This volume has blazed the trail in collaborative and synergistic academic interventions on the peculiarities, opportunities and challenges in Nigerian intellectual law and practice. I com

Ayoyemi Lawal-Arowolo is Professor in the Department of Jurisprudence and Public Law, Babcock University School of Law and Security Studies, Nigeria. Kunle Ola is a Senior Lecturer at the Thomas More Law School (TMLS), Australian Catholic University.

Introduction: Nigerian IP experience: Past and Present Part I: Patents 1. Patent Licensing Contracts under Nigerian and US Law: The Operation of Exhaustion Doctrine in Nigeria 2. The Patent System and Access to Essential Medicine (HIV and Cancer) in Nigeria: Overcoming the Challenges of Unsustainable Donor Funding and Impaired Access 3. Rethinking the Patents and Designs Act in the Era of Genomic Research 4. Law Reform and Employee-Invention Patents in Nigeria: A Cue from the United Kingdom 5. Traditional Knowledge on the Medicinal Uses of Plants (TKMUP) in Nigeria: Whither the Patent System in COVID-19 Pandemic Part II: Trademarks 6. Two Strings on a Bow: Scope of Registrable Trademarks from the Era of Traditional Knowledge to Digital Technology in Nigeria (Pre and Post 1965) 7. Registration of Domain Name as Trademarks in Nigeria: Panacea to Cybersquatting 8. Trademark in The Digital Age in Nigeria Part III: Copyright 9. The Quagmire of Open Access: Availability, accessibility, and impact 10. Evolution of Digital Performance: Leveraging Rights in Performances 11. Non-consensual Pornography in Nigeria and the Copyright Law 12. Intellectual Property Law and the Protection of Creative MSMEs in the Digital Economy of Nigeria: Leveraging AfCFTA 13. Registration of Copyright Works in Nigeria from the Prism of TV XTRA Productions Ltd v National University Commission and Zain Nigeria 14. Inequality of Bargaining Power between Artistes and Recording Companies: A Critical Review of the Case of African Songs Ltd. V. Sunny Ade 15. Seeking Protection for use of Images in Commercial Practices in Nigeria: A Pathway to Intellectual Property Reform and Development 16. Intellectual Property Reform in Nigeria