Book Piracy in Nigeria: Issues and Strategies

Abstract

Book piracy is an illegal and illegitimate reproduction of other people's intellectual property for economic reasons without prior consent or authorization. This paper examines the intricate dimension of book piracy in the Nigerian Publishing Industry. It notes the dangers the trend portends to qualitative education and scholarship in general. The paper identifies the different forms of book piracy as: local reproduction of fast moving titles using newsprint or poor textured paper, abuse of publication rights, hi-tech reproduction overseas, circumventing the e-book version, illegal reprography, unauthorized excessive production by printers, and translation without permission. Some of the causes of book piracy are poverty, book scarcity, ignorance of the copyright laws by the public and the uncooperative attitude of some countries in endorsing international treaties on intellectual property rights. The paper recommends the following as panacea to stemming the tide of the menace: cost reduction strategies, national book policy and commissioning of local authorship, awareness and enforcement of copyright laws, revitalization of libraries, sanctions on countries showing complacency towards piracy, special algorithms to detect illegal downloads, security printing devices and moral suasion.