Nigeria's movie industry popularly called Nollywood is currently been threatened as ‘Nollywood’ is now a registered trademark owned by a Nigerian guy living in the States, Nicholas Opara.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark office, the trademark was issued to Nicholas of Kirkland, WA. on December 03, 2013. What this means is that Nicholas Opara now has legal ownership of the term "Nollywood" and every time someone uses that term, they either have to get permission from him or pay him royalties, making it a potential cash cow for him.
Anyone using the word Nollywood in any of his products or services without Nicholas Opara's permission faces legal liability for trademark infringement and there's a report that he, allegedly, has already sent a cease and desist letter to a company using the word ‘Nollywood.’
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