The Similarities In Copyright Law Of The United States Of America And The Federal Republic Of Nigeria

Intellectual Property is a vibrant and fascinating area of Law. It concerns the ideas of property, "The right to possess, use and enjoy a determinate thing." However Intellectual Property law concerns the intangible, and protection that is awarded to them. A key area of Intellectual Property Law is Copyright.

Copyright Law explores the protection awarded to various types of work. The purpose of this article is to very briefly consider the similarities between copyright law in the United States of America and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I feel these two countries will draw interesting distinctions, as they both have colonial backgrounds, and have developed into very differing nations albeit one has been independent for far longer.

The United Kingdom's Statute of Anne, governed copyright law in the United States of America from as early as 1790 Anne prevailed even after independence and most states in the United States of America implemented this when dealing with copyright. For example state copyright laws on the formalities of copyright based on the Statute of Anne were implemented.

Post Anne, various other statutes in the United States of America have been used in copyrightable action. Throughout the history of the United States, the Copyright Act has undergone numerous changes. The Act, which was United States Federal Law was implemented in 1909 and broadened the scope of copyright protection...