NCC, Customs Collaborate on Curbing Piracy

By Oluseyi Olarinde

Intellectual property theft and copyright infringements which involve the printing of books without the author’s permission, and the downloading of music and films illegally have over the years affected the book chain in Nigeria.

To this end, the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, had reached an agreement with the Nigeria Customs Service, NSC, to tackle piracy in the country.

Director General, NCC, Dr John Asein made this known at a sensitization programme organized by the commission for the Publishers, Printers and booksellers in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital.

Dr Asein who noted that the collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service was to reduce to the barest minimum the activities of pirates, said that it was committed to tackling intellectual property theft right from the nation’s border.

Describing Ibadan as the heart beat of book selling in Nigeria, Dr Asein said the book chain had been weakened going by the actions of pirates, thereby affecting the nation’s economy.

The DG, NCC said the nation would be better off when the fight against piracy was conquered.

The Southwest Coordinator, NCC, Mrs Oluropo Oke, maintained that due to piracy, the publishing industry had been counting losses despite the huge investment in the business.

Mrs Oke maintained that the commission would not relent in the fight against the menace.

The booksellers in a reaction, through the  Chairman Association of Booksellers, Mr Sanni Shakiru accused the publishers of not communicating enough with them before taking some steps such as high discount rates, unavailable books for sales during book season and the likes which had inadvertently affected them greatly.

While reacting to the issues affecting authors and the publishers, the Vice President Nigerian Publishers Association, Mr Luqman Dauda called for collaborative  efforts on the part of the Commission, the Publishers, Printers and the book sellers.

The Chartered Institute of professional Printers, CIPPON, through the National Vice President, Mr Wole Olumuluyi, appealed to the NCC to always hold a periodic seminars with them and promised to work amicably with the commission.

The Publishers, Printers, and Booksellers promised to work tirelessly with NCC to put an end to piracy.

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