NCC Seeks Media Collaboration on Copyright Infringement

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) yesterday called for effective collaboration with the media in the country towards tackling the menace of copyright infringements.

The Director-General of the commission, Dr. John Asein, who made the call at a media parley in Ibadan, said while the commission has the power to arrest and prosecute people involved in copyright infringements, it still needs the support of journalists to achieve its aims, maintaining that copyright infringements have negative impact on authors and the society as a whole.

He said: “We need your support to stamp out copyright infringements. This means we all have responsibility.

“We have the power to search, arrest and prosecute. But, we rely on police, NSCDC and other security agencies so as to get it done. We have a good working relationship with the security agencies. The problem of enforcement is real.”

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Mr. Emmanuel Abimbola, in his contributions, urged governors of Southwest states to reduce fees charged on book review for publishers, stating that this will reduce cost of books in the markets which has become a burden to most parents in the country.

He insisted that fees charged on book review by government agencies particularly in the region is becoming exorbitant.

According to him, an official of one of the states once said that the exorbitant fee charged was a means of generating revenue which should not be so because education must be seen as a social service.

He said: “We don’t really have much problem with the government of other region because some of them only charge flat rate for the book review which we publishers are ready to cope with.

“However, we are calling on the government of states in the Southwest to stop the exorbitant fee, it is becoming too much, a situation whereby we are asked to pay N10,000 or N12,000 per book title, by the time you calculated it, it will be going to N2 to N3 million.