The Ogun state government has disclosed plans to enact a law that would regulate the operations of the “Chinese Adire fabric”.
Sesan Fagbayi, the state’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism stated this while hosting Oba Olusegun Magregor, the Olu of Orile-Ilawo in Abeokuta.
He warned that anyone found making the Chinese Adire fabric would have to pay royalties.
Explaining that the decision was made as a part of efforts to protect the authentic Adire cloth from unfair competition and counterfeit, he added that the Ministry was willing to work with the State government and the Ilawo community to ensure its success.
‘’The Ministry is looking into protecting the intellectual property of the Adire fabric, as well as ready to establish a law that will ensure that imitators of the fabric pay stipulated fees into the coffers of the State government’’.
Earlier in his presentation, Oba Prof. Magregor, the Olu of Orile-Ilawo, said that an enforcement law was desperately needed to stop the sale of fake Adire, commonly known as “Chinese Adire,” and to stop vendors and consumers from calling it Adire.
“It is because it is still being called Adire, that is why people are still patronising it, even if the Chinese have to produce the pattern and refer to it as that, it is important to enforce the payment of the royalty and trademark royalty for the designers”.
The Monarch added that the essence of the visit was also to inform the Ministry of the forthcoming 3-day collaboration festival between the State government, the Ministry and the Orile-Ilawo town.
He added that the three-day event is a broad celebration with traditional music, food, admired clothing, and the main attraction—a drum festival featuring various ethnic groups—all aimed at revitalizing the travel industry and marketing and commercializing the State’s richly documented past.
