Man charged under copyright act

A man was yesterday arraigned before Magistrate Drammeh of the Kanifing Magistrates' Court, charged with infringement of copyright.

Abdou Keita pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was subsequently granted bail of D20,000 with a Gambian surety, who must deposit an ID card.

According to the particulars of the offence, the accused person in March 2011, along the Serrekunda Market area, willfully and for profit-making offered for sale or exhibited two produced cassettes of Bolongo Daala, a local drama group entitled "'Babylon by Force' Komma Silo" without a licence or authority to do so.

Testifying before the court, the first prosecution witness (PW1) Cherrno Bubacarr Saidy Jallow, told the court that he is a teacher and a producer as well, adding that he knew the accused, Abdou Keita.

He added that he is a member of Bolongo Daala Drama Group, and is the producer, director, scripe writer and an actor in the group.

Testifying further, the witness told the court that their group has produced a film entitled 'Babylon by Force' also known as "Komma Silo" and that the conditions for the distribution was to sell the original cassette and supply some stores with it.

"I was informed by somebody that some people copied our cassette, and sold them," PW1 told the court.

He narrated that one day he was going to their informant and suddenly found one of their cassettes, which was acted in Mandinka with the title "Komma Silo". He revealed that his colleague pulled out the said cassette which he also confirmed being the very one.

"I checked the cassette and discovered that it was not the original. I was trying to go and lodge the complaint at the police, but the accused insisted that I would not go with the said cassette," he explained.

"I forced myself and went with the cassette to the police, and the police gave me a reference number to report to the nearest police satation for the accused to be apprehended," he told the court.

He said that he later went to the mobile police post, and the accused was subsequently arrested and taken to Serrekunda Police Station.

Still testifying, the witness said that he went to the CID to lodge the complaint, and they all went to where the accused sold a copy of the cassette, and the customers told them the accused sold the copy to them.

He added that the said cassette was with the CID.

He further told the court that the cassette carries a warning against piracy, and they did not give the accused permission to sell their cassette.

A copy of the said cassette was subsequently admitted and tendered at the court as an exhibit.

Nima Jammeh, the second prosecution witness (PW2) who is also a member of the Bolongo Daala Group, also gave similar testimony.

The hearing continues.