Accra: Veteran Ghanaian filmmaker Socrate Safo has raised concerns over the broadcasting practices of Bishop Daniel Obinim’s OBTV, alleging that the station has aired movies without securing the necessary copyright permissions.
According to Ghana Web, Socrate Safo took to Facebook to express his observations after he stumbled upon OBTV while browsing television channels. Safo claimed that the station aired a movie with violent scenes during daytime hours, allegedly without displaying a classification warning. Following the movie, Bishop Obinim was featured in a counselling session addressing various viewer problems through prayers and healing.
This incident led Safo to question whether OBTV had obtained the required copyright rights for broadcasting the movie. He stated that he contacted the Copyright Office to verify if the movie was properly licensed and if OBTV had the necessary licensing arrangement for audiovisual content. His inquiries raised concerns about the station’s practices, and he suggested that OBTV might not be the only television station with such issues.
Socrate Safo emphasized that owning a television station does not grant ownership of the aired movies and programs. He highlighted that audiovisual works are protected under Ghana’s Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690), and television stations must secure the necessary permissions or licenses before broadcasting copyrighted content.
Safo criticized certain religious leaders for preaching honesty and integrity while allegedly not applying these principles to creative works. He pointed to the Copyright Monitoring Team’s role in monitoring copyright works, investigating infringement, and conducting anti-piracy activities to protect creators. Safo humorously questioned how religious stations would respond to copyright enforcement, sarcastically suggesting that pastors might claim the Holy Spirit failed to warn them.
Despite his sarcastic tone, Safo underscored the seriousness of copyright infringement for Ghana’s struggling creative industry. He urged television stations, especially those owned by religious organizations, to obtain proper licenses, pay for the content they broadcast, and respect filmmakers’ rights. Safo noted that foreign films are not automatically free to broadcast and stressed the importance of adhering to Ghana’s copyright framework, which protects qualifying foreign works under international obligations.
Socrate Safo concluded by clarifying that his criticism was not an attack on Christianity but a call for consistency between religious teachings and practice. He stated, “The creative industry does not need miracles from pastors. It needs respect for the law.”