The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on Tuesday destroyed pirated books valued at N141.5 million, seized from booksellers and suppliers during various enforcement operations across the South-West.
The destruction exercise, which took place in Ibadan, was supervised by the NCC Oyo State Coordinator, Mrs Oluropo Oke, on behalf of the Director-General of the commission, Dr John Asein.
Asein said the pirated books were confiscated over the past three years from bookshops and markets in Abeokuta, Sango-Otta in Ogun State, and Ibadan in Oyo State.
According to him, the books were properly valued before destruction and found to be worth N141,550,000. He noted that some booksellers were unable to provide proof of purchase or trace the source of the books to legitimate publishers or distributors.
“There are several features that distinguish original books from pirated copies, such as the binding, colour, paper quality and point of purchase. We need to ascertain whether books were obtained directly from publishers or their authorised agents, or from illegal street sources,” he said.
The director-general warned that the Nigerian Copyright Act empowers the commission to punish individuals involved in piracy or illegal dealings in intellectual property, adding that offenders risk fines, forfeiture and other penalties prescribed by law.
Asein stressed that book piracy continued to undermine national economic growth and deprive authors and publishers of the rewards of their creative efforts. He explained that the seized books were shredded rather than burnt to prevent environmental pollution and ensure they did not return to circulation.
“We are using shredding machines because they are environmentally friendly and ensure the books cannot re-enter the market. While this represents a loss to booksellers, we urge them to buy directly from publishers or their authorised representatives, not from the streets,” he said.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Mr Rotimi Iyiola, said book piracy had severely damaged the publishing industry and the livelihoods of authors, publishers and workers.
He described the destruction exercise as a welcome development and commended the NCC for its commitment to combating piracy. Iyiola added that the NPA was ready to collaborate with the commission to effectively eradicate book piracy in Nigeria.