Okoroji Attributes Progress In Copyright Administration In Nigeria to Late Ulrich Uchtenhagen

Okoroji spoke in Harare, Zimbabwe at an occasion to honour late Dr. Ulrich Uchtenhagen by the International copyright community.
He identified him as a key contributor to the progress presently being made in the development of the collective management system across the continent.

“Collective management of copyright would have remained in the doldrums in much of Africa, especially Nigeria, without the road map created by Uchtenhagen. As long as we continue to fulfill those ideals for which Uchtenhagen lived, then he is not dead. He lives on”, he said.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of Uchtenhagen’s live bust by the Swiss Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr. Luciano Lavizzari.

Uchtehagen died December 31, 2003 in a car accident while on an international assignment in Zimbabwe.

Some the speakers at the event attended by copyright collective management experts from around the world, were Mr. Fernando dos Santos, Director-General of ARIPO; Mrs. Tarja Koskinen Olsson, Vice Chair of the Norwegian Copyright Development Association and Mr. Robert Hooijer, former Director-General of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors & Composers (CISAC).

Each of the speakers enumerated a long list of processes and developments in the international copyright system which were either initiated by Ulrich Uchtehagen or driven by him.

It will be recalled that Dr. Ulrich Uchtanhagen visited Nigeria in 1991 as a consultant of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

After nine days in the country during which he met with virtually all the key stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry, he prepared a report which in no small measure helped to shape the collective management structure that presently exists in Nigeria.