By Idris Olukoya
Lagos State, May 16, 2023(NAN) Nigerian Copyright Commission(NCC) is set to launch its mobile piracy reporting app to enable citizens lodge reports anonymously.
Dr John Asien, the Director-General unveiled the development while addressing newsmen in Lagos, on Monday.
Asien who was represented by Mr Mathew Ojo, Director, Lagos Office said that the mobile app would complement the online reporting and platform already available on the Commission’s website.
He added that the Commission would be reintroducing the antipiracy stamps especially for books and other physical media to ease the detection of pirated materials.
The Director-General said that the Commission would renew its commitment to strengthening the copyright system for wealth creation, employment generation and untimely for national economic development.
He recalled that on the 11th of May, 2023, the Commission arrested one Mr Richard Albright-Nwachuckwu for illegal reproduction of various school books belonging to Learn Africa, in contravention of the Copyright Act, 2022.
According to him, the culprit was arrested in the Somolu area of Lagos state with the following pirated works; New Concept Mathematics, 1,015 copies.
Others are; New Concept English, JSS3, 1,577 copies and New Concept English, JSS1, 785 copies all together make it 3,377 copies of pirated materials.
He added that the the suspect, who claims to have come in from Abuja to reproduce books in Lagos was in the custody of the Commission and would be charged to court soonest.
He would be charged to court under the new penal provisions of the Copyriggt Act which now has stiffer penalties for criminal copyright infractions.
Earlier, Mr Gbola Aiyedun, Publishing Director, Learn Africa Plc, commended the Commission for a well-done job.
He said that the commission has taken a new direction in the right order to fight against piracy activities in the society.
“This is really commendable and the publishers association are ready to cooperate with the Commission to ensure a seamless exercise in tackling piracy surge in the society, ” he said.
Similarly, Mr Emeka Chigbo, Chairman, Books Sellers Association, Lagos State branch, expressed positivity that the activities of piracy in the society would be reduced to the bearest minimum with time.
He said that “the war against antipiracy by NCC was second to none, I am sure with this stiffer punishment on piracy, the industry would be unattracted to piracy activities anymore”.(NAN).
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