What Internet Fraud?

26th September 2006
Recent press publications have accused Lawrence Spencer-Coker, President of Supreme Inc, of Internet fraud and of telling more lies than truth.

Supreme Inc is a reputable company that takes its integrity seriously.

1. The financial valuation of Supreme Inc: Supreme Inc is a sole trading enterprise owned by Lawrence Spencer-Coker. Supreme Inc owned by Lawrence Spencer-Coker and legally registered to do business in Sierra Leone is NOT quoted on a stock exchange any where in the world. This clarification is important because where a company is listed on a stock exchange, market forces will dictate the value of the company by valuing the shares of the company. In the case of a privately owned company like Supreme Inc, the valuation of the company is at the sole discretion of the owner of the company. As the owner of Supreme Inc, Lawrence Spencer-Coker is at liberty to place any value he deems fit on his company. This is what Lawrence Spencer-Coker had to say on the official Supreme Inc website about the value of his company. Quoted text has been italicised for clarification. “After one year of operations in Sierra Leone, Supreme Inc has been valued at over $100,000,000 (one hundred million US Dollars) by its founder and President, Lawrence Spencer-Coker. The Supreme Inc brand is now one of the strongest and most recognisable brands in existence in Sierra Leone and with the recent re-branding the company now has fully functional subsidiaries including: Supreme Events, Footprints, Supreme Records, SSLTV, SSLFM, Holy Martimoney and The Supreme Foundation. Even though we have all this equity, we will maintain our private ownership as long as it continues to be the most profitable means of operation.” A prospective buyer has the option of placing their own valuation on Supreme Inc but should the owner not accept their valuation of his company then the owner will simply decide not to sell the company. If the owner insists on their valuation and it is too high for prospective buyers – as was the case quite recently - then the prospective buyer simply does not buy the company.

In valuing Supreme Inc, one must take into account both the physical assets owned by the company and one must take into account the Intellectual Property endowed in our people, including our consultants, artists, comedians, software engineers, graphic designers, etc. One must also take into account the uniqueness of the brand itself.

The main point to take away from here is that the valuation of a privately owned company like Supreme Inc is at the sole discretion of its owner[s]. On the decision to float the company any time in the future, the valuation then becomes a different matter.

2. SSLTV: What follows is the exact wording from www.ShowBizSierraLeone.com/SupremeInc, Supreme Inc’s official website, describing the Supreme Inc subsidiary that is SSLTV. The quoted text has been italicised for clarity – “SSLTV is a television station set up to broadcast programmes produced by SSLdotcom. SSLTV is broadcast on the Internet and on terrestrial TV to a wide audience. SSLTV is equipped to broadcast programmes produced by its internal film production team and by freelance film producers alike.” In a newspaper published in Sierra Leone called Independent Observer, the edition of Monday 25th September 2006 challenges the above assertion on the basis that SSLTV does not have ‘a signal and never heard of’. Firstly, we must all be aware and cognisant of the fact that information on the Internet, and specifically, information on the official Supreme Inc website is not delivered primarily or solely for a Sierra Leone based audience. Therefore, when we state that SSLTV is broadcast on the Internet we are absolutely correct. We are not in the business of giving away our trade secrets but it will be good for anyone who wants an example of an Internet based TV broadcasting station accessible to Sierra Leonean companies and for which the said Sierra Leonean ‘broadcaster’ will not need a signal or licence from the Sierra Leonean authorities, to take a good look at http://www.youtube.com/. And ensure that you read the Terms and Conditions - http://www.youtube.com/t/terms - for better clarity on requirements. In addition, the official Supreme Inc website states that our programmes are broadcast to a wide terrestrial audience. It does state anywhere that our terrestrial audience currently includes Sierra Leone. The fact that SSLTV has not been heard of is not fraudulent or misleading. Its lack of notoriety may be down to inadequate marketing but that can and seems to have been rectified by recent press publications, for which we will be eternally grateful. In addition, services like YouTube have a non commercial aspect and one must fully understand implications before making public statements.

3. SSLFM: What follows is an exact wording from the official Supreme Inc website. The quoted text has been italicised for clarity: “Broadcasting from Sierra Leone: SSLFM is set up to produce and broadcast radio programmes that promote Sierra Leone's culture & tourism and showbiz & entertainment industries alike. SSLFM is broadcast on the Internet and also produces programmes for broadcast on local radio frequencies. SSLFM is set to air radio programmes produced by freelance producers.” Again, broadcasting on the Internet and broadcasting the way the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) Radio or Radio Democracy will broadcast, are two completely different things. The requirements for legal broadcasting on the Internet and non-Internet based broadcasting are currently dissimilar. As this release is not an in depth tutorial on the subject of radio broadcasting, I will leave the reader to do a search on the Internet, try http://www.google.com/, to find out more about Internet radio broadcasting. It is worth noting that the official Supreme Inc website does not state how often we broadcast. I assert that SSLFM is broadcast on the Internet and that we do have the capacity – hence, we are set up, as we claim on our website – to produce programmes for broadcast on local radio frequencies. Again, as a company with a global outlook, we do not limit any of our activities and services to the borders of Sierra Leone. We operate in a global village thanks to the reach of the Internet.

4. Artist management: Supreme Management manage artists of Sierra Leonean and non-Sierra Leonean origin. In the same way that footballers change clubs, artists will continue to change management teams and record labels.

5. The Grand Awards: The Grand Awards will be hosted in London in November 2006. The public promotion of the event is at the sole discretion of the organisers and again, lack of information about The Grand Awards by the general public may be down to bad marketing strategies or the organisers may not be ready to go public. However, I shall take this opportunity to inform the general public about the event. The Grand Awards is an award show for Sierra Leonean artists who are based anywhere in the world. Nominations for a Grand Award can be sent in by anyone from anywhere. The Grand Nominations Panel will appraise the nomination for suitability prior to its acceptance as an official nomination. In this regard, Kanye West has been nominated for an award as the Best International Act for his song titled ‘Diamonds from Sierra Leone’. Other nominees in the International category include P Square from Nigeria. A host of other artists have also been nominated. It is worth stating that The Grand Awards will be organised in the mould of the Grammy Awards in the sense that each nominee will not be required to perform, as was the case in 2005 with most of the music based awards shows organised in Sierra Leone in 2005, including the flagship Celtel Premier Music Awards 2005. With The Grand Awards, specific artists will be contracted to perform and the other nominees present at the event in London will be given star treatment at the event from the time they arrive on the red carpet.

6. Supreme Spotlight: Again, we do not like to give out our marketing strategies to our competitors but it is worth highlighting the importance of the ‘SUPREME SPOTLIGHT’ section of the official Supreme Inc website. The Supreme Spotlight gives Supreme Inc a chance to highlight its new developments in as brief a form as possible. For more in depth information on any of our ‘Spotlighted’ services, one is best advised to get in touch with Supreme Inc via email at SupremeInc@gmail.com

Let's unite against piracy!

United Against Piracy (UAP) is a private member organisation dedicated to the eradication of piracy from the Sierra Leonean music industry. UAP engages in the preservation, development and promotion of Sierra Leonean music globally.

FAQs about UAP
1. Why is UAP necessary? UAP is necessary because piracy is widespread in Sierra Leone and no existing local organisation proactively and effectively addresses the issue at the moment.

2. What type of entity is UAP? UAP is a membership organisation with an executive structure similar to the United Nations (UN). UAP is headed by a Secretary General.

3. What is the mandate of UAP? To eradicate piracy from the Sierra Leone music industry and to preserve, develop and promote Sierra Leonean music globally.

4. How will UAP achieve its mandate? UAP will achieve its mandate by working in close partnership with ALL relevant stakeholders with the collective aim of raising and increasing awareness about piracy and by designing and implementing innovative initiatives that will directly and indirectly minimize piracy and the perpetration of piracy against Sierra Leonean copyright holders globally.

5. Can UAP accurately quantify the level of piracy in Sierra Leone? Levels of piracy can be estimated. Current figures estimate that the global music industry loses over 5 billion US Dollars to piracy every year. Therefore, UAP will dedicate a sizable portion of its annual resources into research on the types, levels and modes of piracy prevalent in Sierra Leone.

6. Who is eligible to become a member of UAP? Anyone who has anything to do with the Sierra Leone music and entertainment industry is eligible to become a member of UAP, irrespective of geographic location. All eligible persons or entities are automatically ‘Eligible Members’ of UAP.

7. How does one become a Full Member of UAP? To activate membership and become a ‘Full Member, each ‘Eligible Member’ must complete a UAP Application form and pay the annual membership fee.

8. What are the benefits of joining UAP?
UAP Membership Card - instant recognition as a music industry practitioner
Discounts on goods, products and services
Free access to comprehensive music industry information resource
Free access to Copyright Enforcement Unit
Anti-Piracy Product Initiatives
Outreach Programs for all relevant stakeholders – Police, Customs, Judiciary & Volunteers
Contract Negotiations on behalf of members
Collective Bargaining on behalf of members
Collective Management on behalf of members
Free Advisory service

This discussion can be joined by sending your thoughts and comments via email to SupremeInc@gmail.com.
Or visit us online at the Supreme Inc website Blog at:
www.ShowBizSierraLeone.com/blog

Our official website is currently at:
www.ShowBizSierraLeone.com/SupremeInc

Intellectual Property Rights in Sierra Leone

Discussion Topic: “Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in Sierra Leone. The Way Forward for musicians distributed locally in Sierra Leone.”

Key Question: How best can locally marketed musicians’ awareness and understanding of Intellectual Property Rights be developed?

Lead Discussant: Lawrence Spencer-Coker[1]

Background & Synopsis: In recent times, music has been a major source of employment for Sierra Leonean youths, contributing immensely to the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) mandate of poverty reduction. Music has also been an influential ‘weapon of choice’ for society in general as evidenced by recent albums like ‘Corruption E do so! by Daddy Saj and ‘Borbor Bele’ by Emmerson. On June 5th and 6th 2006 the Lead Discussant and the Vice-President of Supreme Inc[2] attended a National Stakeholder Workshop on ‘Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in Sierra Leone’.[3] The two day workshop concluded with several points for future discussion and policy making which were published in a series of Questions, Options and Recommendations, some of which are discussed herein.

Music is very important to the Sierra Leonean society and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. In addition to creating employment, all legitimate trade in the music industry represents income for many, including the GoSL, who receives tax revenue from the music industry. The managers, promoters, producers, manufacturers of tapes and CDs, wholesale and retail distributors, graphic designers and many other relevant stakeholders all receive income from the industry. If the music industry is not protected and developed the result could be civil anarchy as many people will find themselves displaced and disoriented.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) go a long way to not only protecting the industry, but they also address the issue of development because IPRs encourage creativity by bestowing exclusive rights.

However, where piracy exists, as it does in the Sierra Leonean environment, the benefits of exclusive rights are eroded. Without the means to enforce exclusive rights, IPRs are like empty promises - pointless.


Points to note about locally marketed artists:
They face peculiar issues of copyright infringement and piracy both locally and internationally.
Potential to generate huge revenues for government and society at large, which can aid nation building and the poverty reduction objective of the GoSL.

As a music industry professional with management and protection of artistes at its core[4], the key question being addressed in this discussion will continue to be of immense interest to the Lead Discussant, the Sierra Leone music industry practitioners and the GoSL.

SAANA CONSULTING FINDINGS

The complete publication by SAANA CONSULTING titled ‘Protecting IPRs in Sierra Leone’ is quite comprehensive and thorough and must be acknowledged as a key source of information on the issue of Intellectual Property Rights presented and discussed herein. Specific sections pertinent to this discussion include:

Copyright: Key Issues and Policy Options for Sierra Leone:

Question A – What approach should be taken to modernization of the law on copyright and related rights?
Options:
(1) Define and amend key areas of existing law to bring into basic TRIPS compliance, and continue to define specific national needs and interests.
(2) Begin immediately to draft new, modern Copyright Act.

Option 1 was recommended by SAANA CONSULTING.

Question B – Would establishing collective management societies enable effective enforcement of copyright and related rights by their owners?
Option: Explore the feasibility of establishing a national copyright collective management society was the only option recommended.

The actions required to achieve the above were set out as follows:
Identify potential interest among current and potential future owners of copyright in Sierra Leone including writers, artists, musicians, performers, authors, etc.
Identify the economic net benefits of establishing a collective management society in terms of the balance between royalty outflows and domestic gains and losses.
Establish contact through WIPO with a non-profit international organisation such as the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) to explore options, including funding options, in detail.

The advantages of a national collective management society for Sierra Leone as opposed to any other option include:
Initiates transparent and positive action to protect a growing domestic cultural sector (particularly the music industry).
Afford the opportunity to undertake a more comprehensive study to identify and assess broader and potentially negative implications of stricter copyright enforcement in Sierra Leone.
Other developing countries such as South Africa, and organisations such as WIPO and, for example, CISAC could provide advice at no direct cost to Sierra Leone.

No disadvantages were highlighted so it is in the interests of the GoSL to take action immediately.[5]

IP Infrastructure: Key Issues and Policy Options for Sierra Leone:

· A - How to address the existing capacity shortfall in coordination and development of IP policy?
· B - What can be done to address current and future resource/capacity constraints on IPR administration?
· C - How best can public awareness and understanding of IPRs be developed?
· D - How can the IPR knowledge and skills of customs and police be enhanced cost effectively?
· E - How can the judicial system be enhanced to support IPR enforcement and regulation?
· F - How best can patent information be made available to SMEs?

In this discussion, we will narrow the focus on issues directly affecting artists being marketed in Sierra Leone. Musicians of Sierra Leonean origin dominate this group and the majority of our discussion will further narrow towards them, but it is worth noting that there are non-Sierra Leonean artists of African origin, European and American origin in this group also. As a matter of fact, piracy of non-Sierra Leonean music and derivative products like VCDs and DVDs is more readily accepted by the buying public in Sierra Leone today, as it is seen to be less harmful to citizens of Sierra Leone. This suggests that there is an appreciable level of awareness about the ill effects of piracy already.

Question C in depth

· How best can public awareness and understanding of IPRs be developed?

Options:
· Mandate and fund the OARG and the Copyright Office to coordinate an IP public awareness, education and access campaign with other ministries and stakeholders.
· Encourage NGOs, Chamber of Commerce, Universities, Business Groups to promote IPR public awareness and education.

Both options were recommended as feasible at this time. However, as a Business Group, Supreme Inc will focus on Option 2; to “encourage NGOs…Business Groups to promote IPR public awareness and education.”

Action required to make this happen include:
Identify target publics – music industry practitioners
Design, prioritize and cost appropriate program activities for each target group
Identify potential “partners” who may have an interest in achieving similar goals (e.g. Music Industry, Record Producers)
Establish explicit mandate and budget




Key Objectives of Discussion Paper

It is hoped that this discussion will lead Supreme Thinking to:
1. Design, prioritize and cost appropriate program activities for the target group who are: ‘locally marketed music industry practitioners, predominantly Sierra Leoneans and the general buying public.
2. Identify sources of funding and produce/distribute funding proposals to implement 1 above.
3. Better prepared for Phase 2 of this discussion – Taking the message to the Fans.

For transparency and effectiveness in achieving the above stated goals, Supreme Thinking – the think tank of Supreme Inc – proposes the formulation of United Against Piracy (UAP) - an organisation dedicated to eradicating piracy in Sierra Leone. UAP will also engage in the preservation, development and promotion of Sierra Leonean music globally.[6]

This discussion can be joined by sending your thoughts and comments via email to SupremeInc@gmail.com.
Or visit us online at the Supreme Inc website Blog at:
www.ShowBizSierraLeone.com/blog

Our official website is currently at:
www.ShowBizSierraLeone.com/SupremeInc


[1] Lawrence Spencer-Coker is President of Supreme Inc and founder of United Against Piracy. He is also a leading Profit Strategist and Asset Manager.
[2] Nicky Spencer-Coker is Vice-President of Supreme Inc.
[3] The workshop was directed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Sierra Leone with funding assistance from DFID and organised by SAANA Consulting – www.saanaconsulting.fi
[4] Supreme Inc was set up in early 2005 to address the growing professional needs of musicians being marketed in Sierra Leone.
[5] It is planned that United Against Piracy (UAP) will offer Collective Management for its members.
[6] Information about UAP is available from the Supreme Inc website at www.ShowBizSierraLeone.com/SupremeInc/