Three shipping containers of 3,000 cartons of pirated books with a conservative market value of over N300 million have been seized by the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC.
The Director-General of the commission, Dr John Asein, revealed this in a press statement on Sunday in Abuja.
He said the containers were intercepted at Onne Port, Rivers, in collaboration with NCC enforcement partners – the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and the Department of State Services, DSS.
He stated that the copyright of the pirated books belongs to frontline Nigerian publishers: Africana First, Bounty Press, Evans, Learn Africa, Macmillan, Metropolitan and University Press Plc.
“Our main headache used to be with locally printed books which are easy to identify due to their poor production quality.
“But, we have since seen a surge in the importation of pirated books, especially from Asia with quality, competing with their originals.
“Many of these pirates who are agents of foreign printers now have the audacity to come into Nigeria to scout for businesses.
“Sometimes they share lists of their pirated stock with prospective customers in Nigeria through rogue networks.
“In some cases, the imports are compromised, and the documentations doctored to deceive enforcement agencies,” he said
The Director General said that many pirates were taking undue advantage of the zero duty on books, while unscrupulous importers make false declarations either to evade duty or as cover for smuggling.
He said, without undermining the government’s policy on ease of doing business, the Commission is working with Customs to introduce the online pre-import certification scheme to check illicit imports of books and other copyright materials.
DG Asein have alerted importers, clearing agents, booksellers and warehouse owners to carry out due diligence when transacting book business and to always ensure proper documentation.
He emphasised that anyone found with copies of pirated books will be hold accountable by the commission and presumed to be complicit in the crime of piracy either as primary or secondary suspects.
He said that NCC will more than ever step up its enforcement drive to decimate copyright piracy with the support of partner agencies and the cooperation of right owners.
“Fortunately, Nigeria now has a stronger Copyright statute with stiffer penalties for criminal infringements.
“There are provisions allowing the Commission to seal premises, go after the proceeds of crimes and deal with suspected materials summarily.
“I am also pleased to note that the new Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, now expressly gives the Service powers to detain, arrest and seize any materials that infringe the Copyright Act,” he said.
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