Publishers appeal to govt on copyright law

The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Oyo state Chapter, has urged the federal government to accelerate efforts to make an amendment of the copyright law come into operation in the country.

The executive secretary, NPA Oyo state, Mr. Emmanuel Abimbola, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to commemorate the World Book and Copyright Day.

According to Abimbola, the World Book and Copyright Day is to celebrate books and literary works and to encourage people to embrace books.

He said what the Nigerian Publishers Association did to mark it was a road walk in which members carried banners with different inscriptions about books and their benefits to life and the nation at large.

“About the copyright law, the government is trying, but they are not yet doing enough.

“The copyright law we are still operating with is as old as 32 or 33 years, since 1988, and so many things have changed in the law, even in the society.

“So, the government needs to work more on that law, though there has been an amendment but it is still in a draft. The government should ensure that the draft is turned into a bill, so that it can become law as soon as possible,” he said.

He said the government also needed to empower the Nigerian Copyright Commission more to stop piracy, noting that piracy remained one of the greatest threats to intellectual property in the country, and more efforts were needed to stem its tide.

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