WE CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW REFORM
Desmond Oriakhogba, Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, presented EIFL’s comments on Nigeria’s Copyright Bill 2021 (Executive Bill) at a hearing organized by the Nigerian Senate in 2021.

THE CHALLENGE

Digital technology has changed the world. It has also transformed the services that libraries can offer to their readers and communities, especially those living in remote or rural areas. But the laws that govern how digital information is used and shared have not kept pace.

Evidence shows that the copyright laws of developing and transition economy countries, where EIFL works, are often more restrictive than those of industrialized countries. For example, the right to make digital copies is uncertain, or may be expressly barred in some cases, and inter-library document supply services may be prohibited.

To respond to these pressing challenges, the Copyright and Libraries programme (EIFL-IP) advocates for national copyright law reform to support libraries in maximizing access to knowledge resources, while respecting the rights of creators.

While developing the pre-draft Law, it is good practice to consult with stakeholders who will be using the new legislation and living with it in the coming years. In Armenia, the stakeholder group that showed the most vivid interest was the library community. Having heard the voice of the Armenian library community, I changed several provisions in the pre-draft text to meet their concerns as far as possible, especially the chapter on exceptions and limitations, while safeguarding the framework of international and European legislation to which the Republic of Armenia is committed.

- Miha Trampuz, appointed expert to develop a modern and EU-compliant draft Law on Copyright and Related Rights of the Republic of Armenia

FACTS

1

26 of the 28 countries with no provisions for libraries in their national legislation are developing countries (WIPO Study on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives, 2017).

 

2

EIFL’s Draft Law on Copyright informed certain provisions on libraries and archives in Nigeria’s Copyright Act, 2022.

EIFL-IP IN ACTION
Kondwani Wella, the first librarian from Malawi to participate in WIPO’s copyright committee (2010) with Kathy Matsika, EIFL Copyright Coordinator from Zimbabwe in the WIPO assembly hall.
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The participants from eight countries who joined the regional seminar in Lesotho on the Marrakesh Treaty on 12-13 September 2017. Photo credit: Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO.
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