ABOU NAJA Talks with Filmmaker and Actress Rindala Kodeih

Intellectual property is the fuel that powers the entertainment industry. This is especially true thanks to the rise of digitalization and piracy. With so many channels for creators to express themselves, it’s not only art that is being imitated but the artists themselves. To further explore this phenomenon we sat down with renowned Lebanese-Spanish movie director and actress, Rindala Kodeih.

Born and raised in Benin till the age of 15, Rindala moved to Paris to complete her studies. Having lived in a few different countries and continents, Rindala speaks English, French, Spanish, and Arabic fluently. A fact that differentiates her from most of her contemporaries and is probably why she appeals to a diverse audience spanning across both the European and Arab spheres.

Rindala Kodeih shot to fame seemingly overnight after acting in several popular Lebanese tv series at the start of her career. In her own words, Rindala states, "I became a public figure and a brand at the same time." A sentiment that belies the years of study and practices it took for her to perfect her craft. In fact, the time invested in mastering an artform or innovation is one of the reasons why intellectual property protection is so vital. Without this protection, creators would have no incentive to invest time and money into innovating.

She echoes this sentiment sharing that when creators have a great idea for a product or a service, there will always be people who will want to duplicate their success and sell the ideas as their own. Thus, to prevent competitors or anyone else from using your ideas for their own profit without our consent, it is important to use trademarks or copyrights to be safe.

In particular, a copyright gives the holder the exclusive right to make copies of a piece of creative work. Depending on the type of content, location, and other factors copyright duration can vary. In most cases, copyrights range from 50 years to a lifetime. However, the duration can also extend to several years after the creator dies, as in the case of Walt Disney’s famous Mickey Mouse cartoon.

Apart from movies and music videos, copyrighting also affects art, photography, music, and paintings. Notably, the Berne Convention automatically copyrights the creation even if it is not registered. As a result, even if a creator fails to register their copyright they are still protected under the Berne convention even though such an intellectual property claim is difficult to prove and protect.

Nonetheless, for moviemakers and musicians, a huge part of the financial reward for their work is derived from royalties and the sale of movie tickets, views from streaming, or the sale of copies of their work. For this reason, copyright protection for filmmakers like Rindala is vital.

Fortunately, the filmmaker hasn't faced any significant copyright infringement or cited someone for using one of her videos or movies without permission. However, Rindala has faced imitation noting that "they don't get anywhere with that because they are ‘fake’ in what they do." Once again proving the power and value of authenticity.

However, in the case of a serious copyright infringement, there are measures you can take to enforce your rights. You can file a lawsuit against the violator. To successfully file a claim it is always best to be able to prove your copyright claim through copyright registration. This is because such litigation can be costly and drag out for long periods of time, in some cases years. As such, it is best to be certain you can prove copyright ownership. To avoid such a lengthy legal battle you can opt to retain a lawyer or intellectual property expert in your region to arbitrate to send a cease and desist letter to the violator.

In addition, you need to be able to prove that the violator actually copied your work. This can be either in a clear case of copying pasting or by proving that the defendant's work closely resembles your own. You can also enforce a copyright claim in cases where someone copies your work or distributes your work without prior consent. Performing your work in public, including digital or audio transmissions also count as copyright violations.

As previously noted, intellectual protection like copyrighting allows creators to derive economic rewards for years of studying, work, and financial investment. In Rindala's case, her passion for the film industry started when she was a child. She recounts how she used to invent stories and express herself through music and painting. This passion led her to attain a Bachelor's degree in Audio Visual and Theatre.

After finding success as an actress, Rindala ventured into directing and launched her own company ‘’The Magic Box Productions‘’ In her work Rindala is always curious about what her audience thinks and feels and aims to fulfill their needs through her work.

However, Rindala adds that life as a director means being constantly on the move depending on the country and project she is working on. Also, she is always searching for new ideas based on her daily thoughts and feelings.