Author(s): Okubor Cecil Nwachukwu, Enakireru Eric
In Nigeria and South Africa, copyright is the most common intellectual property right. The purpose of this study is to look at how criminalizing copyright infringement in Nigeria and South Africa has helped to reduce blatant copyright infringement. The study used qualitative research methodology and a doctrinal approach to trace: the definition of copyright as an industrial property subject; copyright infringement in Nigeria and South Africa; proof of copyright infringement in Nigeria and South Africa; and criminal liability for copyright infringement. According to the study, criminal liability for copyright infringement cannot be underestimated, given the increase in criminal activities in these countries, which has resulted from a massive increase in piracy and bootlegging, which has become a huge and highly profitable business. As a result, the paper suggests that the government of the day make a concerted effort to educate the populace, and that arrangements be made for widespread publicity on the importance of copyright in particular, and intellectual property law in general, on the individual owner of copyright as well as the nation's entire economic, social, and legal system.