The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has vowed to prosecute online service providers, including hosts of e-libraries involved in any   copyright infractions on their platforms.

Director-General of the Commission, Mr. John O. Asein, made the declaration in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the newly elected executive of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) who were on a courtesy call.

Asein disclosed that the Commission was paying more attention to online activities with a view to curbing the sale of pirated books through online stores.

He called on ANA to constitute an anti-piracy committee to interface with the Commission for proactive, sustained and effective anti-piracy campaign.

He decried contract gaps between authors and publishers in the country and indicated that the Commission would collaborate with ANA to develop model contracts to ensure proper rights clearance and adequate remuneration for authors in the book industry.

Noting that the absence of proper contractual agreements between authors and publishers has left many authors with unpleasant experiences, the Director-General also observed the necessity for new business models to ensure adequate recompense for authors, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stressing the importance of the literary field, Mr. Asein noted that creative writing was the bedrock of the wider creative industry, including Nollywood.

“The movie industry could not have been where it is today without the literary talents turning out excellent film scripts. The author of the film script is often unsung, but they set the tone for good films and, like the faces of Nollywood, these scriptwriters also deserve to be celebrated,” he stated. Sun