The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has warned Nigerians against photocopying books and other published materials without permission, describing the practice as a violation of the intellectual property rights of authors and publishers.
The warning was given on Thursday by the Deputy Director of the Commission’s Regulatory and Compliance Department, Barrister Kunle Olatunji, during the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) National Advocacy Programme for the South-West Zone, held at the UI Ventures Mini Hall, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Olatunji said using another person’s intellectual work without authorisation amounted to stealing, urging authors, publishers, lecturers, students, researchers and other creative professionals to embrace lawful reproduction of published materials.
The programme, themed “Nigerian Copyright Law and the Role of REPRONIG,” brought together representatives of tertiary institutions, authors, publishers, librarians, visual artists, lecturers and students to discuss copyright protection and the economic benefits of respecting reproduction rights.
Olatunji explained that the Copyright Act 2022 provided extensive protection for creative works, including materials distributed through digital platforms and the internet.
He said the law contained provisions addressing online copyright infringement, including tampering with technological protection measures, removing rights management information and holding internet service providers accountable.
According to him, the commission is empowered to take enforcement action against websites involved in copyright infringement, including shutting down platforms distributing copyrighted materials unlawfully.
He cited the ongoing prosecution of operators behind NetNiger and MovieBox as examples of the commission’s efforts to tackle online piracy.
On the implications of artificial intelligence for intellectual property, Olatunji maintained that technological advancement had not extinguished the rights of original creators.
He stressed that individuals and organisations could not freely aggregate people’s creative works for machine learning and subsequent distribution without regard for the rights of the original owners.
He warned that copyright violations could attract penalties, including fines, imprisonment and forfeiture of assets, depending on the severity of the offence.
Earlier, the Acting Executive Director of REPRONIG, Mr Tosin Akeredolu, said the organisation was the only collective management organisation in Nigeria specifically licensed to administer secondary reproduction rights in the text and image-based sector.
He explained that its mandate covered photocopying, scanning, digital downloads and the sharing of copyrighted materials across digital networks.
Akeredolu said unauthorised reproduction of such materials could undermine the economic interests of authors, publishers, newspaper proprietors, visual artists and other copyright owners.
He explained that REPRONIG was established to provide a collective platform through which creators could protect their reproduction rights and earn additional income whenever their works were reproduced.
According to him, authors and other copyright owners who register their works with the organisation stand to benefit from royalties generated through licensing arrangements with institutions that reproduce copyrighted materials.
He noted that while creators earn primary income through book sales and publishing royalties, secondary reproduction provides another source of income.
Akeredolu urged Nigerians to understand that the educational purpose of photocopying a book did not automatically make such reproduction lawful.
He added that collective management through REPRONIG was necessary because it would be impractical for individual students and institutions to negotiate separately with every author.
Also speaking, a REPRONIG board member and President of the Nigerian Publishers Association, Mr Lukman Dauda, said the sensitisation programme was designed to address widespread unauthorised reproduction of academic publications, particularly in higher institutions.
Dauda said the practice deprived authors and publishers of the financial benefits of their intellectual labour.
He explained that REPRONIG was working to ensure that tertiary institutions obtained appropriate licences for reproducing published materials, with proceeds distributed among registered rights holders.
He added that the South-West engagement was the fifth in a nationwide advocacy exercise covering Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the final programme scheduled to hold at the University of Maiduguri.
In his welcome address, REPRONIG Board Chairman, Mr Gbadega Adedapo, said the organisation was established to ensure that authors and publishers received compensation beyond the conventional royalties earned from the initial sale of their works.
Adedapo explained that REPRONIG, as a collective management organisation licensed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission, provides a structured system through which institutions can obtain blanket licences covering reproduction within specified limits.
He disclosed that the proposed institutional licensing arrangement provides for a fee of N1,000 per student per academic year, with proceeds distributed as royalties to registered authors, academic and non-fiction writers, publishers and other rights holders in the text and image-based sector.
He said the organisation’s licensing and royalty distribution activities were managed through its Digital Rights Management System (DRMS), designed to facilitate registration of creative works, institutional licensing, usage monitoring and royalty distribution.
Adedapo appealed to the University of Ibadan management, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, to give favourable consideration to the proposed REPRONIG Institutional Copyright Licensing Agreement.
He said the agreement would strengthen copyright compliance, ensure equitable remuneration for creators and promote sustainable knowledge creation and dissemination within the academic community.
The REPRONIG chairman commended the Nigerian Copyright Commission, under the leadership of its Director-General, Dr John Asein, for its role in strengthening copyright protection through the Copyright Act 2022.
He urged participants to understand their rights, register their creative works and support lawful reproduction, stressing that people who invest time, resources and intellectual effort in producing original works should not be deprived of the economic benefits of their contributions.
The programme also featured discussions on the responsibilities of libraries, academic institutions and content users in promoting copyright compliance and protecting intellectual property rights.