Nollywood On The Global Stage: Protecting IP In Nigeria's Booming Creative Economy

Nigeria's film industry, Nollywood, has matured into a global cultural force, producing over 2,500 films annually and capturing international audiences on platforms like Netflix. With this global visibility comes a renewed urgency to protect the intellectual property (IP) that underpins its economic potential. While piracy and rights mismanagement remain a threat, the focus must now shift from merely diagnosing the problem to proactively implementing legal, institutional, and market-based solutions.

Despite the 2022 update to Nigeria's Copyright Act to address digital distribution and online infringement, enforcement mechanisms remain weak. Most filmmakers operate without legal or financial resources to pursue IP violations, and many content creators are unaware of how or when to register copyrights. This legal and structural vacuum has enabled a booming piracy market. It is estimated that Nigeria loses between ₦10 and ₦15 billion annually due to piracy, with some reports claiming the country's creative sector loses as much as ₦918 trillion (~US$3 billion) yearly when considering broader violations across film, music, software, and broadcast content. Approximately 80% of Nollywood content is pirated either through illegal digital platforms or bootleg DVDs, and this not only robs filmmakers of revenue but disincentivizes investment from international distributors who require guaranteed IP protections.

At Danol Partners, a global law firm with Nigerian roots engaged in the evolving landscape of creative law, we believe there are practical, immediate steps that Nollywood stakeholders must take to protect their IP in today's booming creative economy. Rights registration must become a non-negotiable standard. Before public release, every film, screenplay, score, and character should be registered with the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), in line with Section 20 of the Copyright Act 2022 which affirms the presumption of authorship and ownership through registration. Legal ownership begins with documentation, and in an industry where disputes over story rights and royalties are common, early registration is both a shield and a sword.

Contractual clarity also plays a pivotal role. Nollywood producers and industry players must prioritize the development of watertight agreements covering licensing terms, production responsibilities, streaming rights, and revenue allocations. These contracts should unambiguously define ownership, licensing territories, duration, and termination conditions. With Nollywood's growing engagement with international platforms, contracts must also address cross-border jurisdiction and enforceability to safeguard rights beyond Nigeria's borders.

To back up these rights, enforcement mechanisms must be strengthened. It is not enough to have rights on paper; those rights must be defensible in practice. Section 39 of the Copyright Act 2022 empowers the Copyright Commission to take enforcement actions, but this power must be matched with stronger judicial support. Nigeria needs to prioritize the establishment of a dedicated intellectual property court with trained judges, faster hearing timelines, and the ability to issue binding digital takedown orders. Interim measures such as injunctions should be accessible and enforceable when piracy or unauthorized use is detected. In addition, the NCC should deepen its cooperation with digital platforms and ISPs to ensure swift removal of pirated content and better monitoring of infringements online.

Another crucial component is collective rights management and royalty collection. The Copyright Act, under Section 39(2), recognizes collective management organizations (CMOs) as legitimate vehicles for licensing and collecting royalties. Nollywood can draw lessons from the music industry, where performance rights societies such as COSON or MCSN have helped centralize royalty flows. A robust, transparent system that tracks usage across cinemas, television, streaming services, and in-flight entertainment can help ensure that filmmakers and copyright holders are paid consistently and fairly.

In the digital age, technological solutions must complement legal tools. Blockchain-based IP registries, digital watermarking, and AI-based infringement detection tools can be game-changers. Section 44 of the Copyright Act also permits technological protection measures (TPMs), recognizing their validity in preventing unauthorized use. As other countries invest in creative tech infrastructure, Nollywood must not be left behind. Stakeholders should support startups and tools that secure content at the source.

Capacity building remains fundamental. Too many filmmakers are unaware of the rights they hold, or the remedies available to them. Clinics, workshops, and partnerships between law firms, the NCC, and film schools can bridge this gap. When creatives are legally empowered, the industry becomes more structured, and its global prospects more sustainable. The revised Copyright Act 2022 provides the enabling structure to support all these efforts, and its provisions must be operationalized cohesively across the industry. From registration (Section 20) to enforcement (Section 39), technological protection (Section 44), and collective management (Section 39(2)), a harmonized approach that integrates legal, contractual, technological, and educational tools will allow Nollywood to safeguard its intellectual capital and compete confidently on the global stage.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.