EU Flags Nigeria, Others For Intellectual Property Rights Violations

Nigeria was added to the European Union‘s most recent priority watch list on Thursday, joining China, India, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Thailand as nations that raise serious concerns about infringements of intellectual property rights.

The EU’s Trade and Economic Security Commission, in its biennial report on the Protection and Enforcement of IPR in Third Countries, warned that counterfeiting and piracy are causing serious harm to the European economy.

In 2023, EU customs seized 17.5m counterfeit items worth nearly €811m at its borders. Online piracy was also reported to be on the rise.

Highlighting the economic stakes, the commission noted that IPR-intensive industries contribute nearly half of the EU’s annual GDP and over 80 percent of its exports.

These industries are vital for sustainable job creation and economic stability.

The report classified China as the top concern for the EU, followed by India and Türkiye.

Nigeria, alongside Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Thailand, falls into the third priority group.

“China remains a top priority for EU efforts to protect the Intellectual Property Rights of its businesses, innovators or creators, followed closely by India and Türkiye as second priority countries. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nigeria and Thailand are third priority countries,” it added.

The EU acknowledged some progress in Nigeria, including efforts to strengthen its IP regime through legislative reforms such as the new Nigeria Customs Service Act and the implementation of a national IP policy launched in 2022.

However, it expressed concern that these measures have yet to deliver sufficient results.

A significant issue cited was the failure to pass the Industrial Property Commission Bill introduced in 2016, which aimed to harmonise existing IP laws and establish a national industrial property commission.