The Nigerian Copyright Commission on Tuesday destroyed pirated books worth N141.5 million, seized from booksellers and suppliers during enforcement operations over the past three years.
The destruction was supervised in Ibadan by NCC Oyo State Coordinator, Mrs Oluropo Oke, on behalf of the NCC Director‑General, Dr John Asein.
The pirated books were reportedly seized from bookshops and markets in Abeokuta, Sango-Otta in Ogun State and Ibadan.
“We valued the books before destroying them and found their total value to be N141,550,000.
“During the operations, we discovered that some booksellers could not prove the source of their purchases.
“There are several features that differentiate original books from pirated copies, including the binding, color, grammage and point of purchase.
“We need to establish whether the books were bought from the original owners or publishers, or acquired on the streets,” he said.
The NCC director-general warned that the Nigerian Copyright Act gives the commission the authority to sanction any citizen caught pirating or illegally trading in intellectual property.
He said individuals found in possession of the seized books could face penalties ranging from fines and forfeiture to other legal sanctions.
Asein added that book piracy continues to undermine economic growth and denies authors and publishers the rewards of their work.
He explained that the books would be shredded, rather than burned, to prevent recirculation and to protect the environment.
“We are making every effort to prevent pirated books from returning to the market.
“We are using a shredding machine because it is environmentally friendly. We believe that shredding will ensure the books do not re-enter circulation
“We understand this is a significant loss to booksellers, but instead of buying from pirates, we encourage them to purchase from the original sources, publishers or their representatives, rather than from the streets,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Mr Rotimi Iyiola, said book piracy has significantly eroded publishers’ livelihoods.
“Witnessing the destruction of the seized pirated books by the NCC is a welcome development.
“Economically, book piracy causes enormous damage, not only to authors and publishers but also to workers and their families, and it deprives the government of revenue.
“Our jobs as publishers have been stolen, and our means of livelihood eroded,” Iyiola said.
He praised the NCC for its dedication to combating book piracy in Nigeria and reaffirmed that the NPA is ready to cooperate with the commission to ensure that piracy is effectively addressed.
(NAN)
