NIGERIA: 2008 IPR OUTREACH PILOT PROGRAM PLAN

UNCLAS ABUJA 001634 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EEB/TPP/IPE (HALLOCK, WATTS, & KEAT) AND PASS TO USTR (AGAMA AND GARDE) USDOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS USDOC FOR 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS USDOC FOR USPTO - TONI HICKEY USDOJ FOR MARIE-FLORE KOUAME E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KIPR EPPD ECON EAID PGOV NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: 2008 IPR OUTREACH PILOT PROGRAM PLAN REF: STATE 58059 ¶1. Mission Nigeria looks forward to participating in the IPR Outreach Pilot Program for 2008. The following is a summation of the Program Plan per reftel instructions. ¶2. PAS Abuja and Lagos will work with the Nigerian recording and motion picture industries, and Nigerian government officials to produce a series of public announcements with famous Nigerian artists to increase public awareness of intellectual property rights. The program will target youth and urban areas around the country to help explain IP and encourage Nigerians to not purchase pirated artistic works. The public announcements will be aired on the radio. ¶3. Proposed program dates would be in November/December 2008. Total budget for the program is $16,000. Post would cover $5,000.00 and is requesting $11,000 from the EB Bureau in special IPR outreach funds. Cost includes production fees, studio time, fees for airing and stipends for artists participating in the public announcements. The budget for the program will be: -- $200 Studio Fees. -- $1,600 Production costs. -- $500 Stipend for Artists. -- $13,700 Airing fees (each 60 second PA costs $103). $16,000 Total. ¶4. Post will work closely with the recording and music industry, Nigerian Copyright Commission and the movie and television industry to produce short, clear and powerful public announcements that will increase IP public's awareness and seek to build public consensus that pirated works damage Nigeria's economy and hurt the creative industries. ¶5. Program results will be measured by a roundtable follow-up and debriefing with industry, and Nigerian government officials to discuss the impact of the public announcements in January 2009. ¶6. Nigeria is a major source of pirated music, movies in Africa. It is estimated that up to 18 optical disk plants are manufacturing millions of pirated works per day. Public awareness is very low and measures to improve this have been taken by the Nigerian government and private sector but more needs to be done. Nigerian government agencies have been responsive to greater bilateral engagement in IP and have requested USG assistance. The USG has sponsored more than 50 GON officials for training at the USPTO Global Intellectual Property Academy within the last year and GIPA recently held a June GIPA workshop on enforcement in Abuja that was well-attended by GON agencies and the private sector. In August, the US Department of Justice and State Department are hosting a seminar on optical disk enforcement in Lagos. ¶7. Nigeria has a robust and dynamic music, movie and television industries. These industries are acutely aware of the low level of public awareness to the wrongs of purchasing pirated goods and have sought USG assistance to improve the situation. ¶8. The GON's robust engagement, private sector leadership and Nigeria's large population serve as the perfect backdrop for creative efforts to increase public awareness to IP piracy. Nearly all of Nigeria's 140 million citizens have regular and sustained access to radio and television broadcasts and these mediums are the quickest and most efficient means to reach the large population of youths and urban residents. PIASCIK