Creative Arts Court To Commence Mid-2019

It has come as a good information with smiles which will bring an end to the many distress of creative Arts persons on the operation of a court to protect the intellectual properties and rights of all.

The court is to assist Creative Persons with copyright issues and help with the securing of royalties for their creative work.

Over the years, the issue of piracy has come as a big complain by many in the Creative Arts Industry with many from the side of musicians and movie makers.

This according to the President of the Creative Arts Council has necessitated the operational duty of the special court to deal with creative issues and disputes.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Mark Okraku-Mantey explained that lawmakers have agreed on the operation of the court to protect the intellectual properties and rights of all people in the creative art industry.

“People are just pirating music and works of many creative art people. Some of them think they are doing the owners of the arts a favour,” he told KMJ host of the show.

Mr Okraku Mantey’s comments come after the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture set up Creative Arts Mediation Committee to deal with all matters relating to intellectual property rights and disputes involving creative artists.

A statement from the Ministry noted that the setting up of the Committee is in fulfillment of government’s promise to help creative people in the country get paid for their work without any infringement on rights to their intellectual property.

“In addition to copyright issues, the Committee will deal with all other legal matters affecting the creative arts sector. Its first task is to resolve long existing disputes between ARSOG and the copyright office,” the statement read.

The Committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Samuel Brobbey and has representatives from the Ghana Music Rights Organization (Ghamro), Film Producers Association of Ghana (Fipag), Audio-Visual Rights Society of Ghana (Arsog), Musicians Union of Ghana (Musigha) and the Ghana Actors Guild.

According to the Ministry, the Committee was set up in consultation with the Attorney General’s Department and Ministry of Justice to help protect content churned out by artistes in the country and help them get their due for work.