Sue repeat offenders-Court of Appeal Justice urges copyright holders

A Justice of Ghana’s Court of Appeal has urged copyright owners and collective management organisations (CMOs) to take stronger legal action against institutions and individuals who routinely reproduce protected material without permission.

Addressing a national copyright workshop at the KNUST Library Mall in Kumasi on 19 November 2025, Justice Dr Poku Adusei warned that illegal photocopying, scanning, downloading and digital circulation of learning materials have become “widespread and systemic” across the country’s universities.

Speaking to more than 200 participants drawn from academia, publishing, public policy and international copyright networks, Justice Adusei — who delivered the keynote address — said that while access to learning materials is crucial, the law requires that authors and publishers be compensated fairly.

“Institutions that refuse to meet copyright licensing obligations should understand the risk. The law is clear, and where necessary, it must be tested,” he cautioned.

He referenced findings from a major Access to Knowledge (A2K) research project he led across multiple African countries, explaining that the study confirmed an entrenched culture of copyright abuse in tertiary institutions:

widespread reproduction of copyrighted material

unauthorized duplication by campus photocopy operators

institutional lapses that enable persistent infringement

Justice Adusei argued that collective licensing through CMOs such as CopyGhana remains the most realistic solution to balance affordability for students with fair returns for creators.

A panel of experts from the creative and academic sectors echoed the concerns. Speakers included:

Dr Lucy Ry-Kottoh, Senior Lecturer, KNUST

Richard Obeng Mensah, lawyer and lecturer, KNUST

Dr Wale Okediran, Secretary-General of PAWA

Ernest Oppong, Executive Director of APNET

The panel stressed that universities must see copyright compliance not as an obstacle but as part of building a sustainable knowledge ecosystem.

They outlined the benefits of collective licensing: predictable income for authors, legal protection for institutions, regulated reproduction of materials and stronger respect for intellectual property.

The workshop also drew contributions from international copyright leaders.
Former IFRRO CEO Olav Stokmo outlined global best practices, while representatives from the UK’s Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and the US Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) — James Bennett and Victoriano Colodron — discussed how artificial intelligence is reshaping the reproduction and sharing of creative works.

They called for transparent data systems and modernised licensing frameworks to protect rights holders in an AI-enabled environment.

Participants agreed on the need for urgent action to:

strengthen copyright literacy

enforce compliance across universities

empower CMOs and rights-holders to pursue infringements confidently

CopyGhana, IFRRO and the KNUST Library pledged deeper collaboration to build a fairer and more transparent rights management framework in Ghana.