THE Department of State Security Service (DSS) has advised the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to utilise technology in combating piracy across the country.
This recommendation was made during a courtesy visit by NCC Ibadan Office to the Director, DSS, Dr. Afunanya Peter, on October 15, 2024.

The Director DSS assured of his organisation’s maximum support in the areas of intelligence sharing and market surveillance to track pirated materials.

State Coordinator, NCC Ibadan office, Mrs. Oluropo Oke, in her presentation commended the existing collaboration between the Commission and DSS. She corroborated the suggestion from the Director DSS that there was a need for enhanced intelligence gathering and sharing between the NCC and law enforcement agencies in the state to curb the menace of piracy.

In a related event, publishers and dignitaries have urged booksellers in Abeokuta to procure books from legitimate sources and to avoid piracy. This was the outcome of a sensitisation session, organised by NCC Ibadan Office on October 15, 2024 aimed at educating booksellers on the consequences of piracy.

Dignitaries present included: representatives from Nigerian Publishers Association, Bible Society of Nigeria, University Press Plc, and other stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the NCC Ibadan Office also participated in the 2024 World Literacy Day and the Annual Readership Promotion Campaign organised by the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) on October 17, 2024 in Ibadan. During the event, NCC Ibadan State Coordinator, Mrs. Oke, warned schools against distributing and stocking pirated books.

Amos Abutu