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Twenty people who were exhibiting, distributing and selling pirated copyright-protected work have been arrested in the Central Region by the copyright office for infringing on the rights of the copyright owners. The 20, both Ghanaian and Nigerian, have since been granted a court bail in the sum of GH�1000 with two sureties to re-appear on September 23, 2009. The anti-piracy exercise which began earlier this year in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, where 23 people were arrested, lasted for a week when it was carried out in the Central Region. The exercise was carried out in Cape Coast, Mankessim, Assin Fosu, Twifo Praso and Abura Dunkwa all in the Central Region.The exercise, which was launched nation-wide, aims to save the creative industry in the country. In an interview with BEATWAVES after the exercise, documentation and research officer at the copyright office, Mr. Solomon Nana Otumfuor, described piracy as a deadly foe to intellectual property, and was gradually wiping out the creative industries in the country. He noted that many production houses had collapsed while individual investors have had their investments go down the drain due to piracy. Mr. Otumfuor further said it was an unpleasant situation which must be checked before it gets out of hand.