ENUGU— The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) and Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) have strengthened their collaboration to combat piracy and other copyright infringements in the South-East and South-South.
The organisations stated this on Wednesday in Enugu during an Awareness Workshop on Reproduction Rights Management and Copyright Advocacy organised for members of the NPA.
The programme began with a sensitisation road walk at Independence Layout, Enugu, aimed at educating members of the public on the dangers of piracy and the need to respect the rights of authors, publishers and other creative professionals.
Speaking at the event, the Commandant, NCC Enugu Command, Mr Macfoy Akachukwu, said the initiative was designed to raise awareness about the rights of writers and publishers and discourage copyright infringement.
Akachukwu warned individuals and organisations involved in piracy to desist, saying the commission would arrest and prosecute offenders.
“The law is very clear. We have been creating awareness on these issues, and stakeholders in the copyright industry already know that it is wrong to infringe on anybody’s copyright.
“Over the years, arrests have been made. In the last 15 years, we have taken infringing items worth over N10 billion out of the system,” he said.
He urged members of the public to desist from piracy and other activities involving the infringement of intellectual property rights.
Also speaking, Dr Uchenna Anioke, a member of the Board of REPRONIG, described the collaboration among the three organisations as an important step toward strengthening copyright protection in Nigeria.
Anioke explained that REPRONIG managed the rights of writers and publishers, adding that the partnership would improve copyright awareness and rights management.
He congratulated the organisations for the initiative, describing the workshop as a demonstration of synergy and partnership within Nigeria’s copyright ecosystem.
“So on behalf of the Chairman, REPRONIG, Mr Gbadega Adedapo and board members, I welcome you all to this collaborative initiative,” he said.
Anioke said the awareness campaign was necessary because many people were unaware that unauthorised reproduction and downloading of copyrighted materials constituted infringement.
He said the workshop would produce a roadmap and action plan for addressing copyright infringement across the South-East and South-South.
According to him, piracy was widespread, including in some small-scale printing establishments where publishers’ works were allegedly reproduced without authorisation.
Anioke, who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Publishers Association, said stronger collaboration among stakeholders was required to address the challenge.
On his part, the National Deputy President, NPA East, Dr Jesse Odu, said the workshop was organised to draw national attention to the dangers piracy posed to the publishing industry.
Odu alleged that pirates had taken over about 70 per cent of the publishing business, describing the sector as an “endangered species” in Nigeria.
He called on the Federal Government to provide greater support, particularly logistics, to the NCC to enable its operatives to effectively tackle copyright infringement.
Odu also appealed to parents, schools and public and private institutions to stop patronising pirated books and other intellectual works.
He said piracy was not only destroying intellectual property but also affecting the economy and contributing to job losses in the publishing industry.
The NPA official urged Nigerians to support the fight against piracy, stressing that protecting intellectual property would encourage writers and publishers to continue producing quality works.
Odu said copyright operatives in the South-East were willing to work but required the support of government and other stakeholders to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
(NAN)
