[LINK] Nollywood (was Re: So this is Christmas and Imagine ....)

[Kim Holburn]

http://opensource.com/law/11/1/nollywood-and-copyright-conundrum

> As millions of people already know (though it was news to me), the Nigerian film industry is a vibrant, transformative entertainment phenomenon, and it calls into question these assumptions. Recently the Economist ran a piece about how Nollywood filmmakers are hugely productive and influential all across Africa. Nollywood cranks out 50 full length features a week, which are sold on DVD's for about $1. In a cab ride to the airport, my cab driver, from Gambia, was delighted when I asked him about Nigerian movies, and told me that his family and friends love them and watch them over and over.
> 
> The Economist noted that copyright violations are endemic in Nigeria. New films are quickly copied illegally and distributed all over the continent. Film makers have approximately a two-week period (which they call the mating season ) to reap profits on a given movie before copiers deprive them of further opportunities for profit. So film makers make their money, and then quickly churn out another movie to make more money. In other words, the copyright system is completely ineffective in protecting the films, but the result is that the film makers make movies at a feverish pace.
> 
> So at least in Nigeria, a very weak system of copyright protection has not prevented the blossoming of a highly productive film industry. If anything, the lack of copyright enforcement seems to have contributed to an amazingly high level of production. It makes me wonder: could a less sweeping and punitive copyright system lead to a higher level of creativity in other countries?


http://www.economist.com/node/17723124

> Bandit impresarios
> 
> As soon as a film is released, copyright thieves rip it off. It takes the pirates just two weeks to copy a new film and distribute it across Africa. The merchants must take their money during that fortnight, known as the “mating season”, before their discs become commodities. As soon as the mating season is over they start thinking about the next film.
> 
> The merchants curse the pirates, but in a way they are a blessing. Pirate gangs were probably Nollywood’s first exporters. They knew how to cross tricky borders and distribute goods across a disparate continent where vast tracts of land are inaccessible. Sometimes they filled empty bags with films when returning from an arms delivery. Often they used films to bribe bored guards at remote borders. The pirates created the pan-African market Mr Akudinobi now feeds.
> 
> Other African countries made films long before Nollywood. Senegal in particular produced many movies featuring traditional songs and dances. Critics referred to such products as “embassy films” after their mostly diplomatic financiers (notably the French foreign ministry). Many catered to the sensibilities of their European sponsors. Scenes were laboriously captured on celluloid, at great expense. By contrast, Nollywood is cheap and nimble. Films are shot on digital videocameras. Scripts are improvised. Camera work can be shoddy and editing slapdash. But the sheer volume of output—a response to the piracy problem—eventually overwhelmed the embassy films.


On 2011/Dec/16, at 6:12 PM, Kim Holburn wrote:

> 
> On 2011/Dec/16, at 10:52 AM, Tom Koltai wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
>>> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Kim Holburn
>>> Sent: Thursday, 15 December 2011 10:55 PM
>>> To: Link list
>>> Subject: Re: [LINK] So this is Christmas and Imagine all 
>>> thosepeople.....Re: Australia, Second Class Citizens, according to EMI
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 2011/Dec/14, at 11:27 AM, Tom Koltai wrote:
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I am now, actively campaigning for one global standard for 
>>> copyright 
>>>> to encourage the development of new content.
>>> 
>>> Personally I can't think of a worse idea.  This is exactly 
>>> what the US wants and is pushing, making "free trade" 
>>> agreements for:  
>>> 
>>> One copyright to rule them all.  
>>> 
>>> AFAIC the more diverse the better, the more ridiculous, the 
>>> whole thing is.  
>>> 
>>> Why should there be one price for something in every country? 
>>> Poor people in poor countries have to pay the same price as 
>>> rich people in rich countries?  
>>> 
>> 
>> Interestingly, we agree that in the emerging nations, the average
>> citizen is unable to pay $0.99 per song.
>> 
>> Which is why current commercial initiatives in China to digitally
>> distribute songs at $0.03 cents per song make sense. (Considering three
>> cents is about the earn for the average song for the original musician,
>> there would appear to an awful lot of fat going to non-recording artist
>> interests.)
>> 
>> The calculations I have done as to earning capacity, leisure time value,
>> cost of bandwidth, cost of bargain bin DVDS sales, value of advertising
>> supporting audio and video streaming services, all seem to indicate that
>> a price of between 1 cent and two cents per minute is the pricing that
>> should be settled on globally.
>> A market of 100 million at 24 songs purchased per year at $0.99 equals
>> 2.3 billion vs a market of 6 billion at 24 songs at $0.03 equals 4.3
>> billion.
>> Simple calculation really. 
>> 
>> For example, in Nigeria, the cost of a DVD (with a movie on it) is
>> around $1.00. Piracy is non-existent. However, Nollywood (Nigerian
>> Hollywood) is churning out approximately 1500 movies every year. (26
>> million homes, x 2 DVD's per night (no Broadcast television or cable
>> companies) equals an 18,980,000,000 per annum industry. WITH NO
>> PIRACY!!!
> 
> Actually I think you mean no copyright law.  
> 
> As I understand it Nigeria has no copyright law and a thriving movie ad music industry and lots of pirating/copying of stuff.  Which amazingly seems to encourage creators.
> 
>> So the difference between our points of view is not that dramatic, we
>> are just haggling over the price.
> 
> As an economist you know that the problem with digital things on the internet is that if digital things (ie large numbers, because that is what a digital thing ultimately is) are different prices in different countries then people will arbitrage.  
> 
> Rent-seeking digital distribution companies hate this possibility.  They can't stand the idea of someone else making a profit on their goods even if they make a profit also.  
> 
> -- 
> Kim Holburn
> IT Network & Security Consultant
> T: +61 2 61402408  M: +61 404072753
> mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
> skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Link mailing list
> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
T: +61 2 61402408  M: +61 404072753
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request