The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) says it will collaborate with Dolby Laboratory Inc. of the U.S. to ensure adherence to audio and sound technology standards in Nigeria.
Mr Osita Aboloma, the Director-General of SON, was quoted as saying this in a statement by Mrs Mariam Samson, the Chief Protocol Relations Officer of the organization on Friday.
Abuloma said this when some executives of the U.S. company visited him in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
He said that the collaboration would help to curb the menace of counterfeiting of audio and sound products and materials.
The collaboration will go a long way, particularly in view of the impending digital switch-over programme for broadcasting in Nigeria.
The Leader of the Dolby team, Mrs. Vivian Vasallo, Senior Director, Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement, said the visit was in furtherance of the company’s expansion of its presence in Africa.
The visit was also connected to the creation of audio and voice technologies for cinemas and movies, home theatres, personal computers, mobile devices, and games.
The company, according to her, already has presence in South Africa and Kenya.
Vassalo stated that the planned switch-over from analogue to digital broadcast band in Nigeria provided great opportunities in audio investment.
She noted that the danger of counterfeiting of audio and sound technology materials was also real, given the expansive nature of the Nigerian market occasioned by its large population.
The visit, according to her, was also to discuss mutually collaborative endeavours with SON and other government institutions.
Vassalo said the areas of collaboration would be on capacity development and provision of tools to identify counterfeits and infringements on audio and sound products, standardization and intellectual properties protection.
Others, she said, were engaging the Federal Government Procurement processes on provision of quality cable boxes for use in digitization of broadcast bands.
The collaboration would also explore areas of support to SON Staff in enforcement infractions of audio and sound technology standards in Nigeria.
Source: VON
