NCC seeks more stakeholder support on Copyright protection

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has called for more stakeholder support in the protection of Intellectual Property (IP) in the country.

Mr Joseph Ajang, NCC State Coordinator, Benin, covering Edo and Delta states, made the call in an interview with our reporter in Benin, on Wednesday.

Ajang said that although the commission had put in place measures to protect IP, some stakeholders were yet to key into the initiatives.

“We have the Nigerian Copyright e-registration system (NCeRS) where creators of copyright works, authors and artists, notify the commission about their intellectual property and they are registered in the NCeRS database.

“When we go for book inspections or raids of pirated works we can easily know the original and pirated copies through the information we have on our database and take necessary action.

“However, some authors and artists shy away from this e-registration without considering the harmful effect of piracy on their IP work,” he said.

He also sought support from proprietors of schools and heads of schools, to ensure that books supplied for use were legitimate copies sourced from publishers or authorised dealers.

“Copyright is a private right and it should be protected. Parents, guardians and the general public should support IP protection by reporting suspected cases of piracy or distribution of pirated books to the commission,” he said.

He added that Copyright awareness was ongoing in schools, especially private schools who have bookshops and get books supplies through sales representative.