The Nigerian copyright commission, NCC has said the sensitization and monitoring exercise embarked upon by the commission in Port Harcourt, is to discourage the purchase and sales of pirated materials in the country especially in schools and bookshops.

The Director, NCC Port Harcourt Directorate Office, Mr Abdul-Salami Babatunde stated this when he led officials of the Commission on an inspection tour to some high profiled schools and major markets in the state.

Mr. Babatunde while addressing members of the school management said an infringement on the rights of authors and publishers is a set back on the growth of intellectual property which the NCC under the leadership of the the Director General, Doc John Asein would leave no stone unturned in tackling the menace.

He warned that willful copyright infringement could result in criminal penalties including imprisonment which is in accordance with the Copyright Act.
He urged school proprietors and booksellers to desist from patronizing pirated materials and join in the fight against the crime.

“The continuous sensitization and monitoring exercise is one of the efforts by the NCC to stamp out these criminal elements and stop them from cashing out from the handiwork of the original owners of the intellectual properties. It is a crime and anyone caught indulging in the act will face the wrath of the law”

Mr Babatunde who maintained that perpetrators of the act would be forced out of the business when they are no longer being patronized advised school proprietors to be wary of the publishers who supply books to their schools for them not to fall victims of piracy.

“My team and I visited about eight schools in Port Harcourt metropolis namely, Excellent Montessori school, Spring Valley International school, Brilliant Secondary school, Brain forte international school amongst others to sensitize them that it is no more business as usual. They know the real publishers and should not cut corners in order to make big profits by patronizing pirated books” He said.

The NCC team also visited some bookshops and outlets in mile 3 market Port Harcourt where they sensitized the book dealers on the dangers of getting involved in the business of piracy.

While inspecting their purchases invoice, Mr. Babatunde urged them to always patronize directly from the publishers or their authorized agents to avoid being caught in the web of the law.

“You as business men and women should know it is not right to stampede other person’s source of livelihood and that is why NCC wants you all to join in the fight to protect the rights of genuine publishers and authors in Rivers State and the country at large” Mr. Babatunde stated.

The Director said the sensitization and monitoring exercise will be a continuous one until the country is rid of Piracy bedeviling the originality of the Nation’s intellectual property.