Accra, Feb. 17, GNA - A joint anti-piracy taskforce operation at Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) check point the Dabala Junction in the Volta Region over the weekend resulted in the arrest of 12 people and seizure of 69 boxes comprising 7,632 assorted CDs, DVDs and VCDs valued at about 152.64 million cedis.

According to an official statement made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) the thirteenth person is on the run.

The three-day operation was a joint collaboration of the Copyright Office National Anti-Piracy Taskforce, CEPS and the Ghana Police Service as part of measures to combat the increasing rate of piracy and improper importation of copyright works into the country various entry points.

The statement said the items seized included works of local artistes such as Kojo Antwi, Daddy Lumba, Nana Acheampong, Slim Buster, Esther Smith, Christiana Love, Ama Boahemaa and other foreign artists. Under section 43 of the Copyright Law (PNDC Law 110, 1985), any person who imports or causes to be imported into Ghana any copyright works must obtain the authorisation of the copyright owner, otherwise the person commits an offence and is therefore liable to penalty under the Copyright Law.

The statement assured all artistes that the taskforce would intensify its operation and urged all record manufacturers, producers and musicians to ensure that all copyright materials have the adhesive labels (Gamugram) on them before they are placed on the markets. Mrs. Diana Akiwumi, First Vice President of Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), blamed the influx of pirated works into the country on the refusal of some stakeholders to patronise the Gamugram system, saying it was the only system, which could differentiate between genuine works and pirated ones.

Mr. Bernard K. Bosumprah, Copyright Administrator, said his office had the mandate under the Copyright Law to ensure that Ghanaian creators derived maximum benefits from their creativity. He said his office would intensify its efforts to enforce this mandate until the activities of the pirates were controlled.