APOLOGY OF SPEECHTHEFT NOT ENOUGH; HEADS MUST ROLL-STRANEK

As a think tank that believes in independent research, we condemn speech theft vis a vis intellectual theft for the investiture of the 5th President. It is totally unacceptable and unlawful.

The speech by the President can be termed as intellectual property theft and that can be found under the Copyright Act (Act 690) which is a signatory of the Berne’s Convention. It is being argued that Sections 12 of the Copyright Act points to the fact that copyright of the author lapses 70 years after the death of the author hence the original owner of the line in the President’s inaugural speech died over 70 years ago but we hasten to add that section 12 (1) of the Copyright Act (Act 690) states “ the right of the author referred to in section 5 are protected during the life of the author and 70 years after the death of the author UNLESS THE CONTRARY IS STATED IN THE ACT” . This exposes a reading wrongly of the law.

Section 5 and 6 of the Copyright Act (Act 690) focuses on economic rights and moral rights of the authors respectively. Moral rights as stated in section 6 is not accompanied with some number of years hence the author of the literary work has the sole moral right to claim authorship of the work. However, economic rights as stated in section 5 lapses after a number of years.

Section 18 of the Copyright Act (Act 690) states that the moral rights of the author under Section 6 exists in perpetuity and these rights shall be enforceable by the author during the lifetime of the author and after the author’s death, by the author’s successors whether or not the economic rights vested in the author under section 5 are still vested in the author or the successor in title of the author.

For that matter, it is very clear that there is violation of the law. We opine that it is not enough for the team that drafted the inaugural speech to apologise. Heads must roll whether a big fish or small fish to serve as a lesson and a deterrence to potential intellectual property thieves

Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK) recommends that a cue should be taken from the happenings in Nigeria and Hungary in order to expedite action.

We fervently hope an appropriate action will be taken per our recommendations to serve notice of zero-tolerance on intellectual property theft in the tenure of office of the President.

Ghana is our pride and we will at all times involve ourselves in building our motherland Ghana.

SIGNED
NII TETTEY TETTEH
(EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
+233 249 659 467

CHARLES KWADADE
(EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
+233 554 737 092