Akparemogbene, Delta State. — This is the season of imaginative creation of theft of intellectual property; this is the season of claimed sampling of songs; this is the season of parroting of copyright infringement rhetorics; this is the season of jarring claims of originality - a merely claimed originality that does not exist in actual sense.
Some self-acclaimed critics who are apostles of privatised sampling of songs now ignorantly deafen the secular space with the laughable position that some musicians are original while others are not original..In the actual sense no musician on earth can claim originality because there is no original piece.
All musical pieces or works are a patchwork of others before them looked upon as models and referential materials in the business of musical compositions. Some quotable authorities had long drawn attention to this issue of originality which musicians or writers must not lay claim to in self-deception. Ekanpou Enewaridideke is not the originator of this thought on originality as regards creative pieces.
Any claimant of originality in musical composition is a claimant of emptiness or nothingness because one can only claim to be creative in musical compositions, not originality in musical compositions, and this must be typified by distinguishing marks in the piece. So it is time-wasting for any critic to ascribe originality to some musicians and attribute sampling of songs to others in musical composition and production in the name of critical analysis.
Through a dexterous stylistic touch, Izonebi immortalises long dead Ijaw musicians and this stylistic uniqueness gives his songs another popular appeal in the world of music enthusiasts. Ironically, this stylistic uniqueness has become an invidious engagement driving some persons to drum up a propaganda that Izonebi is engaged in sampling of song which is, legally, an infringement of copyright.
To propagandise that Izonebi is engaged in sampling of songs is a vindictive interpretative 'mischaracterisation' because he only immortalises the greats in Ijaw music through an inimitable stylistic touch. Even where some critics misfire and term it sampling of songs, there is what is called 'fair sampling of songs' that does not attract copyright infringement in law.
However, even where it is placed within the context of their vindictive characterisation of his IMMORTALISING stylistic uniqueness as sampling of songs, it is the judge in court who can give the verdict as to the rightness of this their interpretative 'mischaracterisation' called sampling of songs - which is obviously not resident in Izonebi's stylistic uniqueness that centres on immortalising departed Ijaw musicians.
It appears the whole scenario has changed dramatically to another plane. If the whole thing now revolves around sampling of songs, the addicts and 'born-agains' of anti-Izonebi propaganda have misfired their target.
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Contrary to current vindictive thoughts, Izonebi walks freely away from the punitive arms of copyright infringement because what he does in songs is simply a stylistic evocation and immortalisation of dead musicians who have remarkable marks in Ijaw music.To characterise what Izonebi does dexterously as sampling of songs is an interpretative mischaracterisation that has a vindictive hollow ring.Therefore, Izonebi has not sinned in terms of copyright-infringement as vindictively propagandised by some individuals who are adept managers of propaganda. I think this must be a malediction-infested case of interpretative 'mischaracterisation' of Dr Alfred Izonebi's songs appropriated by vindictive critics.
