Fire Alarms Systems

jupiterkansas points us to the news that Sierra Leone, a country with a per capita annual GDP of $311, which apparently puts it right near the bottom of the Human Poverty Index (above only Niger and Afghanistan), has decided that a key priority should be passing a new copyright law that will put "pirates" in jail for three years. The politicians supporting the bill seemed to use the claim that this would allow the music industry to employ more youths, in a country with notorious unemployment for young people. However, as the article notes, a bunch of young people are freaking out that this is actually killing their job opportunities:

At PZ, the so-called business center of Freetown, said many young people Salonejamboree that the new law would put a stop to them the. Tejan Kabba, a dealer in music and video CDs, appealed to the government at a second critical look at copyright law to take and they are limited only local songs and movies.

Similarly, said Ali Kargbo trade in pirated CDs was paying his school fees because he Lunsar migrated in search of a better life in the capital.

Even more ridiculous? The industry group behind the bill claimed that the passing of this law, local artists help "to compete with Akon" on the international stage:

At State House, the President described the cassette Sellers Association (CSA) President Ernest Bai Koroma as the "prophet" and the "Peoples Leader '. Abubakarr Kamara said he is looking forward to Sierra Leone artists compete with the likes of Akon and others in the international market .

Yes, because all that was missing for the next Akon, was from Sierra Leone to local copyright law? Huh?

In the meantime, send someone to the Government of Sierra Leone, a copy SSRC 's report on "piracy" in emerging markets, and how enforcement strategies don' t work at all and can backfire badly?

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