The Nigeria Copyright Commission on Wednesday destroyed pirated materials valued at about N2bn in Enugu.
The materials, which includes digital video discs, compact discs, books and others, were seized during raids carried out by the NCC in the South-East zone.
The pirated materials were burnt at a dump site in the Ugwuaji area of Enugu, along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.
Earlier, at a stakeholders interactive session which took place before the destruction of the pirated materials, the Director-General of the NCC, Mr. Afam Ezekude, assured that the Commission would not stop at the destruction of the products.
Ezekude, who noted that the South-East was the hub of piracy, said those behind the pirated works would also be prosecuted.
“We will not stop at destruction of pirated materials, we will also make sure that those responsible for this are prosecuted,” he said, while urging the stakeholders to cooperate with the NCC in the campaign against piracy.
Ezekude disclosed that, over the last five years, the NCC, in the course of its fight against piracy, has seized and destroyed pirated materials valued at about N8.4bn.
Also, according to him, the Commission’s partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service has resulted in the seizure of 25 shipping containers, which were loaded with pirated materials.
About 537 suspected copyright pirates were arrested within the period, he added.
Ezekude further disclosed that while several cases are still pending in court, the NCC secured 54 criminal convictions within the same period.
The convictions carried sentences ranging from prison terms and fines, he explained.
However, most of the stakeholders, including musicians, book publishers, movie producers and others, who spoke at the interactive session, bemoaned the negative impact of piracy on their businesses.
They pleaded with the Commission to address the situation, which they said has gotten out of hand.
A publisher, Mr. Tony Azi, from University Press PLC, complained that the NCC was more interested in fighting piracy in CD and DVD production.
Azi said commensurate attention should be paid to the publishing sector, where he said a high level of piracy has been witnessed in recent times.
“We in the publishing industry have found out that the NCC places more emphasis on CDs and DVDs,” he said.
Observing that piracy has taken an international dimension, Azi wondered, “Shipping containers carrying pirated books are cleared at the ports – why is it that container-loads of pirated books are allowed into the country without being seized?”
A Nollywood movie producer, Mr. Ossy Okeke, popularly known as ‘Ossy Affason’, spoke of the “menace” of MP3 downloads in the entertainment industry.
Okeke said the emergence of MP3 downloads is killing investment in the industry.
“MP3 is a canker worm that is killing the entertainment industry – please do something to address the issue of MP3,” he told the NCC management.
Reacting to the complaints, Ezekude said the NCC would address the challenges associated with MP3 downloads of copyrighted materials, including songs and videos.
The NCC would require the collaboration of the police and the army, as well as the cooperation of the stakeholders, to stamp out the MP3 menace, according to Ezekude.
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