What Works Are Eligible For Copyright ?

As a creative , you may ask , does my work fall under works that can be protected by copyright ?

There are Certain Categories  of Creative Works that fall under the Copyright Aspect of Intellectual Property law in Nigeria . The

Categories are
1) Literary Works 
2) Musical Works
3) Artistic Works
4) Cinematograph films
5) Sound Recordings 
6) Broadcasts

We are going to examine the categories that are quite relevant to Creatives .

1) Literary Works -  For Literary works , there is no requirement that the literary work must be in a particular language or that the literary work must be interesting or Noble laureate worthy . Irrespective of the quality of the literary work, as long as the two conditions for eligibility are met , your literary work posseses copyright and can be registered

.Example of literary works are 
(a) novels, stories and poetical works;
(b) plays, stage directions, film scenarios and broadcasting scripts;
(c) choreographic works;
(d) computer programmes;
(e) text-books, treaties, histories, biographies, essays and articles;
(f) encyclopaedias, dictionaries, directories and anthologies;
(g) letters, reports and memoranda;
(h) lectures, addresses and sermons;
(i) law reports, excluding decisions of courts;
(j) written tables or compilations;
(k) articles

Hmmn ��

1) Regulatory and Compliance.

The first thing a startup or company needs to sort is the laws guiding the sector they are going into . That’s like the first major thing the company needs to sort out before anything else .

After doing your research on how profitable it will be , the target market , revenue projections etc , the next thing when it pertains to legal is to find out what the law says about your type of startup or company .


Some salient questions to be considered are

1) Laws that guide the field your company falls under

2) Laws concerning the employment quota you must have

3) Laws concerning your affiliation and membership with a governing body in your field

4) Laws concerning taxes to be paid for a startup like yours .

5) Laws concerning your capital and revenue projections

6) Risk evaluation for your startup considering the available laws in Nigeria

Etc .

These are some of the things that will guide you whether you should proceed with the company formation or not . These would also help you plan your risks and solutions to resolve any problem that lacunas in these laws might lose to your startup or law firm

A lot of prospective startup founders believe incorporation is the first step to a company formation . This is an erroneous belief and could be fatal to the success and continued existence of a startup .

For the Company Formation Stage , here is a summary of the key factors and steps to take note of in descending order

1) Regulatory and Compliance
2) Regularization of Employment Contract
3) Pre Incorporation IP issues
4) Ownership Structure
5) Vesting Provisions
6) MOU
7) Incorporation

We will examine each of these steps under this thread .

Some of the Reasons Why You Need Strong Digital Presence for Your Business .

1) Digital Dominance over Competitors

Online presence gives you an edge over competitors in the same business . Digital dominance has made it necessary for more people to rely on the internet to look for the products and services that they need and once you establish yourself online , you become their first point of contact regardless of whether they are within your vicinity or not .

2) 24 Hour Availability

You might not be available physically at your store or location but via online presence , you can be available 24 hours / 7 days . If contacted and not online , you can always get to see the notifications and messages when you come online .


The internet is always available and can showcase your business all day long. This enables your prospective customers to find your products and services at any time of the day and from any location. If you run a retail business, your online store will be accessible on a 24 hour basis and customers can conveniently make their purchases whenever they need to. This is a key advantage over offline shopping where you have to wait until business hours.


3) Brand Building

Online presence gives your brand Credibility and a good image . A strong online presence allows you to build your brand and gain the credibility that you need to attract more customers. Along with making your business readily accessible, online presence also gives your customers an easy way to find out more about what you have to offer.

4) Positive Image

Interacting with your customers and getting feedback from them through online reviews as well as regularly updating your online posts will create a positive image for your business. This type of image increases the likelihood of prospective customers doing business with you and boosting your sales.

5) Larger Audience

The web gives you access to a much larger audience that includes people within your location and beyond. This exposes your online business to even more opportunities and gives you the chance to operate on an international level.

6) Positive Reviews
A credible business that values its customers can look forward to positive reviews that will result in customer loyalty and a broader customer base. Customers often use reviews to make their purchasing decision and it’s important to prioritize quality customer service.

7) Effective Marketing
Online presence makes it easier for you to market your business and sell your products. A properly designed and informative website with well written content enables customers to make informed purchasing choices. The web provides a marketing platform that gives you a cost effective way to reach a wider audience than conventional marketing techniques.

Accessibility
It is essential for both small and large businesses to maximize on the benefits of having a strong web presence. Aspects such as dynamic search algorithms and social networks are influential in the process of making it easier for customers to locate different businesses online. A business that does not have an online business is regarded as non-existent in the modern and competitive business environment.

And many more .

A thriving business feeds on generating engagement. During this time of uncertainty, it is absolutely crucial for businesses to connect with consumers and stay relevant. In the last decade or so in particular, many consumers have become accustomed to finding what they want online.

According to a Salesforce survey, 85% of consumers conduct research before they make a purchase online, and among the most used channels for research are websites (74%) and social media (38%). Infact , even after referrals , most consumers go online to test the credibility of the products or services they are about to spend their hard earned money on and see if it comes with good reviews .

Consequently, businesses need to have an effective online strategy to increase brand awareness and grow.

While Referrals from your existing customers is efficient when you have a good product or service , most businesses pay little attention to mew customer acquisition due to their lack of or low level digital presence .

For A Company (Startup) , there are four major stages starting from formation leading to the final exit of a company .

1. PHASE 1. COMPANY FORMATION: the startup (i.e., company) is formed , incorporated and physical location is sorted out .

2. PHASE 2. COMPANY GROWTH AND OPERATIONS: the company does business and grows and expands .

3. PHASE 3. COMPANY FINANCING: the company raises money for itself.

4 PHASE 4. COMPANY END GAME: the company has a liquidity event or IPO.

We will examine these four stages on this thread

For Recording Artistes and Record Labels , this is very important.

PR is important but Proper PR is the ultimate life source of a thriving creative career .

Artistes , Record Label and Promoters must evolve beyond traditional PR stunts and strategies to remain afloat in the ever competitive Nigerian Music industry they have found themselves in . More efforts should be directed at More participatory PR strategies rather than the stereotype “ One off Influencer” approach most seem to employ these days .

Willmichael:


U for answer my question na, abi not allowed to ask no questions?

Saw it late sir . The answer given is correct.

Thank you for your patience and rapt attention.

The next thing we are going to be discussing is the process of formation of your own startup company in Nigeria and other salient things as regards regulations and compliance that you as a programmer or startup company need to know.

We will touch on

Pre incorporation
Incorporation
post incorporation
essential contract terms
essential filings and payment
taxes

and many more

ojjp:
Hello

hi

Some people ask how significant is the google business page to a business generating more profits.

Firstly, i think the reason why a majority of businesses dont make new customers or proper profits is

1. they don't want to invest in quality improvement
2. they are solely focused on product and not marketing.

These two issues are very common among most businesses in Nigeria regardless of the field. Many businesses have decided to be stucked in the less profitable traditional method of referrals among existing customers and have decided not to utilize the massive potentials that the internet holds.

There are businesses in Nigeria that get an average of 10 customers solely based on A SOLID ONLINE PRESENCE .

i am going to break down the essence and importance of having a solid online presence like a google business page, website and active social networks on this thread.

stay tuned

Important

Very important

A lot of people ask “ I am already making money from my business and cashing out without any disturbance , do I really need to register my business ?

I pray ignorance will not be the end of us . A friend lost a deal of over 3 million naira in April due to lack of due diligence and having proper records that a registered business will ordinarily have .

I will be evaluating and talking about the top and cogent reasons why your business needs to be registered .

Artistes or Creatives In need of entertainment lawyer in lagos as it pertains to contract reviews , negotiation , deals , split sheets , music royalties and other things related to their intellectual property and copyright should feel free to contact me .

Hmmn

Get access to all these benefits and more when you create a google business page for your business and creative brand .

It is time to get your business in the faces of targeted potential customers .

Get access to a wide range of New customers by creating a google verified Google business Account today .

Patented:


Artistic works are subject to Copyright and not Patents.

I would love if you don’t derail my thread sir please . With all due respect . Thank You .

PATENTS

A lot of programmers may ask , how can My Work qualify for Patents . In Nigeria , The Patent and Design Act Cap P2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria provides some requirements that must be fulfilled in order for a work to qualify for Patent . We have listed those requirements on this thread .

For emphasis sake , we will briefly outline some of these requirements again

1) New - The Work of a Creative that must be registered for Patent must be distinctively new . The work must have never been recognized , made or used publicly before . It must be something that no one doing what you are doing ( in the same creative field with you ) has thought of before or created at any point in time . Newness is a stringent requirement for patent .

2) Capable of Industrial Application - the creation must be capable of being made or replicated in some kind of industry I.e such creation can be mass produced . Essentially , the creation must be capable of taking a practical form of a product , device or design . It must be something that can be replicated using industrial process and available for use by multiple persons .

Is your invention capable of be reproduced for an industry. Can it be multiplied and recreated for industrial use ?

3) Public Policy - it must not be contrary to public policy and morality . An invention that kills people in their sleep might not get patented . Your invention or work must be within the ambits of the law .

4) Fully Detailed - All information about the invention must be disclosed before filing an application for Patent . Nothing must be hidden and all possible additions that must have been reasonably identified must be done before an application for Patent is filed .

What can not be Patented as A Creative ?

As earlier stated , a Patent gives the inventor the exclusive right to the commercial exploitation of an invention . It gives the inventor the exclusive right to exclude others from producing , using or selling the patented invention without the permission of relevant laws or the consent of the inventor for the duration of 20 years that the patent subsists .

It should however be noted that not all creations can be patented .

Some of the innovation or creations that can not be patented are

1) literary works
2) artistic works
3) an idea or theory
4) plant or animal varieties Cabot be patented in Nigeria ( e.g a new breed of maize cannot be patented in Nigeria regardless of the fact that you discovered such breed ).

Scientific theories like phythagoras etc can not enjoy Patents .

Time machine cannot enjoy Patent.

Magic potions cannot enjoy Patent

Surgical procedures that are allegedly new can not enjoy Patent etc

Still available