Explore every episode of the podcast African Intellectual Property Jurisprudence

With the recent statement from President Trump of the USA to levy 100% tariff on all films coming into the USA that were not produced/made in USA, the implication of such higher tariff on the emerging cultural creative film industries from Africa like Nollywood is discussed here in this episode.

April 26 is World IP Day. This years theme is "Music and IP: Feel the Beat of IP"

An event established by the World Intellectual Property Organization to promote the visibility of intellectual property in human endeavors and its intersectionality.

Let us all focus on bringing to reality the global recognition and acceptance of African traditional cultural expressions, which are the main forces that propels the contemporary African music in the creative spaces all over the world. We can only feel the IP beats in music if traditional cultural expressions become 'A LEGAL THING.'

Let us remember that without the African music genre of beautiful tapestry and genre from North, South , East and west Africa-- High life (Ghana/Nigeria), Juju (Nigeria), Afrobeat (Fela-Nigerian originator), Mbalax (Senegal), Soukous (Congo), Makossa (Cameroon), Kwaito (South Africa), Amapiano (South Africa), Gqom (South Africa), Ethio Jazz (Ethiopia), Azonto (Ghana), Rai (Algeria), Gnawa (Morocco), Bongo Flava (Tanzania)... we will and may not have the current successful and booming music industry of today.

African beats have influenced the output of the music industry of other regions of the world. The music in Asia, North America, Europe are heavily colored with the rhythms of Africa... some are borrowed without compensation, some the compensation are inadequate...Hopefully African Music will feel the Beats of IP ..>So that the beats of African creators will not be muted...

Happy World IP Day to all music and IP enthusiasts. Long Live Afro Beat.

I am continuing the discussion on finding the needed balance in applying AI generative programs in legal writing/education for sustainable Legal education in Africa in the technology era.

My presentation at the 2nd Gulf International forum, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC-April 12, 2025

I spoke with Law students at Vishwakarma University, Pune in India during their gender inclusivity and parity conference recently.

Here is part of that talk.

In a short talk to a group of IP mentees I explored how the Classic Nollywood industry birthed the current Nigerian indigenous Comedy industry-Naija comedy. I also examined the AI creative jurisprudence and the need for IP lawyers to gear up towards uncharted legal territories in rights protection and downstream economic advisory roles.

Nollywood, the Nigerian audiovisual industry is among the world’s biggest film industries currently. Globally, Hollywood of the United States and Bollywood of India occupy the first and second position hierarchically in terms of cinematic impact. One of the derivatives creations of the classical Nollywood is the birth of a subset industry, which this paper refers to as Naija- comedy. This short paper seeks to analyze the intersection of a strong copyright regime and indigenous creativity using traditional and ingenious Nigerian comedy, that began initially from a place of sheer recreation and entertainment but has become a niche entrepreneurial brand as a focal take of point in the discussion on the African creative industries.

I spoke virtually to a group of mentees, which included students and emerging professionals within the intellectual property field about legal ethics and the adherence to Rule of Professional Responsibility of the legal profession.

Available on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other streaming platforms.

African Intellectual Property & Traveling

Ibn Battutah stated in THE TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTAH that "Traveling-it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller"

In this episode I reiterate the sentiments of Ibn Battutah, that Traveling from my experience and recordings can impel great IP scholarship, expressions and knowledge.

An exciting Talk with law students, legal scholars and the academic community today (30/01/2025)How law schools (colleges of law) should manage the intervention of Artificial Intelligence in legal scholarship particularly in the Global South.

Full broadcast available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartradio, Amazon Music and all other streaming platforms #artificialintelligence #legalwriting #lawschools

An exciting Talk with law students, legal scholars and the academic community today (30/01/2025)How law schools (colleges of law) should manage the intervention of Artificial Intelligence in legal scholarship particularly in the Global South

Full broadcast available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartradio, Amazon Music and all other streaming platforms

#artificialintelligence #legalwriting #lawschools

In Part 2 and final episode Number 3, we focus on how the interventionist assistance, particularly funds, grants and other forms of technical support can achieve tangible outcomes for the economic benefits of actually creators in the cultural creative industries of Africa-films, music, performances etc.

See events referenced in this episode:

1. Kenya Collecting societies disputes over royalties (money) https://nairobinews.nation.africa/kenya-music-societies-continue-battle-over-artiste-millions/
2. Nigerian music copyright management organizations dispute of issues of who should be in charge of collecting royalties (money)https://thewillnews.com/unending-dispute-between-coson-and-mcsn/

In Part 2 and final episode N3, we focus on how the interventionist assistance, particularly funds, grants and other forms of technical support can achieve tangible outcomes for the economic benefits of actually creators in the cultural creative industries of Africa-films, music, performances etc.

*Listen to the full episode at Apple Podcast

See events referenced in this episode:

1. Kenya Collecting societies disputes over royalties (money) https://nairobinews.nation.africa/kenya-music-societies-continue-battle-over-artiste-millions/
2. Nigerian music copyright management organizations dispute of issues of who should be in charge of collecting royalties (money)https://thewillnews.com/unending-dispute-between-coson-and-mcsn/

In a recent interview I had with the Culture Solutions, an association working towards amplifying the essence of the interventionist agencies (in a good way), I reiterated the need of effective outcomes based on tangible exhibitions of results in the communities of Africa. This audio is a small extract of the more than one hour chat.

In 2020, I published a work on how an effective and efficient legal capacity for African Creators in the film, music and other creative spaces could be achieved in the light of engagements from established creative corporations from the Northern Hemisphere like Netflix, Amazon, YouTube etc.

Recently, Mr. Bright Okpocha popularly known as "Basketmouth" alleged that Filmmakers under partnership with Netflix mismanaged interventionist funds granted by Netflix for producing creatives on things unrelated to creative processes to achieve excellent works. On the global front, Multinational Institutions like the European Union, United Nations as its agencies like WIPO, UNESCO etc. have injected funds in millions of dollars into the African Cultural Creative Industries to enhance the regions socioeconomic development.

In the coming weeks, SAMIÁIRÊPORTÍ will focus on the ACTUAL effectiveness, problems and perhaps put out suggestions on the way forward to realize the "street benefits" of "Cultural Creative interventions."

https://theconversation.com/netflix-naija-creative-freedom-in-nigerias-emerging-digital-space-133252?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=bylinewhatsappbutton

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Before the invasion and plundering of the African Civilization and territories by Colonial Forces of the Northern Hemispheres. African Societies had (and still have) their unique systems of political and creative-innovative outcomes governance. In continuation from Episode 1 I highlight some of the practical methods that Africans used in managing/enforcing their innovations-creations.

The (heightened) advocacy for AI to have the capacity and privileges of humans and or a person in having legal, including economic rights of owning-authorship of an invention/creative work has just been around us for just less than a decade. Meanwhile, indigenous and or Traditional peoples (humans/persons) of the Global South, including some in the North Americas, Australia and certain geographical sections of Europe who, have been creating arts, songs, medicine, forms of entertainment, inventions, performing music/songs, oral poetry and the likes have been begging for their creations and inventions to be legally recognized and protected and granted economic benefits for longer than three decades. The recognition and protection of these indigenous creations is not just a matter of justice but a call to action for all of us. AI advocates and its corporate backers have made AI legal personhood the focus of humanity.

Intellectual property’s core and classic objective was (and is) rooted in equity and justice. Justice is that one ought to be rewarded for their entrepreneurial work or efforts or sweat or solving that could solve problems or create benefits to society. About ‘equity’? It is morally innate and as a means of balancing mischiefs and hardships created organically by humanity or tangentially bestowed upon humans by circumstances not of their making- the ‘right’ and or ‘proper’ things ought to be done. However, the effluxion of time, technology, politics and ideological suasions have reorganized the arcane goodness of humanity, especially with the contending economic and profit nature of universal realities.

Sub-Saharan Africa for long has been exploited by forces outside of her hemispheres for economic advantages, which came about through circular commercial-economic advantages of first-in-the-scene. For example, it took more than three decades for the world to agree on an international regime for traditional knowledge and genetic resources, which are largely a competitive advantage tool of the Global South and Sub-Saharan Africa. African indigenous creative and innovation works traditionally have always been rewarded, enforced and promoted through its customary law jurisprudence. There had always existed African IP jurisprudence though either deliberately or unwittingly unrecognized. These regimes had a strong influence on substantive and procedural justice rooted in the norms and ethos of its people transmitted from one generation to the other. From the west of Sub-Saharan Africa to the east and its Southern tips, Africans expressed their creative crafts and art, including its unique inventions that embody tribal identities, spiritual cohesion and socio-economic development.

This TALK analyses ‘Justice’ from an African jurisprudential perspective. It conceptualizes the amorphous and contentious knots and attempts to untie some unassuming assumptions that substantive and procedural justice ought to be exclusively measured from Anglo-western perspectives. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are coated with the principles of equity, justice and fairness. However, does global humanity reflect on how the concept of justice implicates the creations and innovations of the indigenous and traditional peoples of Africa and the Global South? The need for equitable IP frameworks is urgent and cannot be overstated.