By Isaiah Eka
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) is seeking collaboration with publishers to combat piracy in the educational sector of Akwa Ibom and Cross River.
The State Coordinator of NCC, Mrs Cornelia Ibanga, said this during an annual meeting with publishers on Thursday in Uyo.
Ibanga said the partnership aimed to strengthen the fight against copyright infringement and protect the creative industry’s interests in both states.
She stated that the move became necessary due to the high rate of piracy and its detrimental effects on the economy, especially in the educational sector.
“We have come to realise that the private sector cannot grow as expected if piracy and other copyright abuses are allowed to thrive.
“This meeting is an opportunity for us to join hands together to fight the menace of piracy in our states.
“Our major objective is to achieve zero-tolerance for piracy, which requires high-level collaboration with publishers”, she said.
The state coordinator added that the collaboration would involve publishers helping the agency identify original copies and distinguishing them from pirated books.
Ibanga said that as an enforcement agent, the commission relied on publishers to identify their books, stressing that if publishers failed to cooperate, it would raise suspicions about their intentions.
“The NCC is aware that some sales representatives of publishers may also be involved in piracy by using publishers’ inventory for unauthorised purposes,” she said.
The state coordinator urged publishers to be more flexible in their business practices, arguing that overly restrictive measures, such as labeling books “not to be sold,” could inadvertently fuel piracy.
According to Ibanga, aiding and abetting criminal copyright infringement is an offence, and anyone caught risks imprisonment. NAN
