NCC wants Nigerian universities to use IP policy

John Asein, the director-general of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has stressed the need for universities in the country to have an Intellectual Property (IP) policy to maximise their innovative and creative potential.

Asein made the proposal in Abuja on Monday while formally presenting the revised Model Intellectual Property (IP) Policy to the General Assembly of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) in Abuja.

Asein said the model policy, which was developed by the commission in collaboration with the CVCNU in 2021 was reissued as part of the commission’s renewed effort to promote its adoption and implementation.

He thanked the immediate past secretary general of CVCNU, Yakubu Ochefu, for supporting the initiative and working with the Commission to promote the sustainable use and effective management of IP in Nigerian universities.

According to him, tertiary institutions, as centres of learning and research, should introduce their faculties and students to the subject of intellectual property in line with global trends. This, he added, would make Nigerian universities competitive globally.

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The NCC boss also assured Vice-Chancellors of the Commission’s readiness to help in the development and implementation of their policy.

“The commission will work with other agencies, including the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to begin the intellectual property ranking of universities and celebrate those that excel in the respect, generation, use and commercialisation of IP,” he said.

Speaking on the WIPO Distance Learning (DL) courses on IP, Asein urged universities to infuse the WIPO DL 101 course, which is available online for free, into the General Studies course to give students basic knowledge of IP and equip them in their respective courses of study.

Receiving the copies on behalf of Nigerian vice-chancellors, Lilian Salami, the chairman of CVCNU and vice-chancellor, University of Benin, commended the collaborative efforts of the commission and CVCNU in developing the model IP policy.

Salami assured the NCC DG of CVCNU’s continued commitment to working with the Commission, particularly in promoting better IP culture in universities.

The model IP policy was developed in collaboration with a team of Nigerian experts, the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP).