Enforceability of foreign copyright in Nigeria: a review of the Court of Appeal’s decision in Microsoft v Franike

With globalization and the rise of information and communications technology (ICT), the protection of intellectual protection in software and indeed foreign copyright has never been more paramount. The absence of statutory provisions in Nigeria’s main copyright legislation specifically protecting the intellectual protection in software has not helped. This article examines the Court of Appeal’s recent decision dealing with the protection of copyright in Microsoft’s software. The author is of the considered view that the approach adopted by the courts in the case is not in the overall interest of encouraging foreign ICT companies and the protection of foreign copyrights in Nigeria.