Veteran Ghanaian film producer, Socrates Sarfo, has criticised Nigerian actor, Rex Nosa, for taking to social media to vent his frustration over the alleged unauthorized broadcast of his film by a Ghanaian TV station, instead of reporting the matter to the appropriate authorities.
Speaking on Empire FM’s ShowBiz Today show, Sarfo said while piracy is a serious issue, creatives must follow legal processes to seek redress rather than stirring public outrage online.
“TV3 even showed my film without authorization, and I took them to the Copyright Office, because that is the right place to go. When you have a copyright challenge, you go to the Copyright Office. When somebody steals something that belongs to you, you go to the appropriate quarters, either you go to court or you go to the police and report. You don’t go on social media and start making noise,” he stated.
Sarfo stressed that this approach is not unique to Ghana.
“In Nigeria, if someone pirates a Nigerian film, where do you go? When somebody steals your property there, do you run to Facebook? No, you go to the right place.
The law doesn’t work in such a way that the police will randomly go checking for stolen works. It’s only when somebody reports that they can verify and act,” he explained.
According to him, the Copyright Office in Ghana is effective once cases are formally lodged. “If you report, and ask anybody who has reported a case, action has been taken and settlement has been given. They have an arbitration department where those who don’t want to go to court can go. So if you do not know the law, I should not be blamed for your ignorance,” he said.
The producer, who is also a member of the National Anti-Piracy Copyright Monitoring Team made up of filmmakers, musicians, and book publishers, revealed that he recently assisted producer Xandy Kamel when she faced a similar situation.
“Just recently, I saw Xandy Kamel on social media crying that a TV station had pirated her movie. I called her and she said she didn’t know the law. The High Court has attended to the case and the TV station owner has been arrested. The issue is being investigated,” he disclosed.
Sarfo concluded by advising filmmakers to understand the legal framework of the industry they operate in.
“Before you set out to be a producer, you must know the nuances of the industry you’re going into. I do not support piracy,” he affirmed.
