The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) and Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) have joined forces to combat piracy and other copyright infringement in the South-East and South-South zones.

The organisations stated this during an Awareness Workshop on Reproduction Rights Management and Copyright Advocacy organised for members of the NPA on Wednesday in Enugu.

The programme which began with a road walk at Independence Layout was aimed at sensitising members of the public to the dangers of piracy and the need to respect the rights of authors, publishers and other creative professionals.

Commandant, NCC Enugu Command, Macfoy Akachukwu, said the initiative was designed to create awareness about the rights of writers and publishers and discourage copyright infringement.

Akachukwu warned individuals and organisations involved in piracy to desist, stressing that the commission would arrest and prosecute offenders.

“The law is very clear. We have been creating awareness on these issues, and stakeholders in the copyright industry already know that it is wrong to infringe on anybody’s copyright.

“Over the years, arrests have been made. In the last 15 years, we have taken infringing items worth over N10 billion out of the system,” he said.

He urged members of the public to desist from activities that involved piracy or infringement of other people’s intellectual works.

Also speaking, Dr Uchenna Anioke, a member of the Board of REPRONIG, described the collaboration among the three organisations as an important step toward strengthening copyright protection in Nigeria.

Anioke explained that REPRONIG manages the rights of writers and publishers and welcomed the partnership aimed at improving copyright awareness and rights management.

Congratulating the organisations for the initiative, Anioke described the workshop as a demonstration of synergy and partnership within the Nigerian copyright ecosystem.

“So on behalf of the Chairman, REPRONIG, Mr Gbadega Adedapo and board members, I welcome you all to this collaborative initiative,” he said.

He said the awareness campaign was important because many people were unaware that unauthorised reproduction and downloading of copyrighted materials constituted infringement.

Anioke, who is also a member of Executive Committee International Publishers Association, said the workshop would also produce a roadmap and action plan for addressing copyright infringement across the South-East and South-South.

According to him, piracy is widespread, including in some small-scale printing establishments where publishers’ works are allegedly reproduced without authorisation.

On his part, the National Deputy President, NPA East, Dr Jesse Odu, said the workshop was organised to draw national attention to the dangers piracy posed to the publishing industry.

Odu alleged that pirates had taken over about 70 per cent of the publishing business, describing publishing as an “endangered species” in Nigeria.

He called on the Federal Government to provide more support, particularly logistics, to the NCC to enable its operatives to effectively tackle copyright infringement.

Odu also appealed to parents and schools, including public and private institutions, to stop patronising pirated books and other intellectual works.

The national deputy vice president said piracy was not only destroying intellectual property, but also affecting the economy and contributing to job losses in the publishing industry.

He urged Nigerians to support the fight against piracy, stressing that protecting intellectual property would encourage writers and publishers to continue producing quality works.

Odu said copyright operatives in the South-East were willing to work but needed the support of government and other stakeholders to effectively discharge their responsibilities.(NAN)