admin
WE commend the Zimbabwe International Book Fair for its latest efforts to combat book piracy by bringing in other stakeholders such as distributors, booksellers, the Judiciary, local authorities and the police. Beyond that, there is also need for awareness campaigns to stop members of the public providing a ready market for pirated materials, whether it be books, CDs or cassettes.
Leader of the Anti-Piracy Focus Group Blazio Tafireyi said efforts to fight piracy had failed in the past because of lack of awareness among stakeholders, a dysfunctional book value chain and a lax policy system.
He said the penalty for intellectual property violation was a mere two years, which was rarely enforced.
This is regrettable given that piracy not only deprives practitioners of the full value of their sweat, it benefits thieves while trivialising the efforts of those who come up with ideas which contribute to the development of society.
The penalty shows that we place very little value in the efforts of our artists.
Having said that, it must be pointed out that our artists are also victims of the economic challenges the rest of society faces, hence the need for a concerted effort to save the industry.
Books, cassettes, CDs, like many products manufactured locally, from clothing to foodstuffs, are generally way above what many ordinary people can afford.
This explains the popularity of places like Mupendzanamo where people buy second-hand clothes for their families.
Similarly, most of our supermarket shelves are filled with imported goods.
Daily, our people find it cheaper to cross the border to buy basics from South Africa.
This has contributed a lot to the closure of many companies and to a significant rise in unemployment in the formal sector.
But people appear to be more concerned about their short-term needs rather than the long-term consequences of their decisions.
This points to the need for our local producers to retool and manufacture goods which can be sold at competitive prices.
Pirated books and CDs are sold at a much lower price than what one pays in the shops. People would rather buy what they can afford before they think about the long-term employment prospects for their school going children.
In the case of books and music, the need for awareness campaigns cannot be overemphasised. One gets the impression that even law enforcement agencies themselves don’t take the practice as a serious offence.
Pirated DVDs, CDs, cassettes and photocopied books are sold on our street pavements in broad daylight.
Police don’t appear to take this as an offence at all.
Where they make a show of arresting the vendors, it is just that; a show.
In a few minutes the same vendors are back at their usual points after paying a little bribe.
Tafireyi said people who are arrested for selling pirated books on the streets were made to pay a paltry $10 for the offence. Often times this is the cost of just one book sold and vendors can very easily pay that.
People also find it economical to buy a CD, DVD or MP3 for a dollar than to look for an original which sometimes costs US$5.
There is, therefore, no doubt that piracy is a serious issue in the country requiring a multi-sectoral approach.
While it cannot be stamped out over night, there is need for all stakeholders to demonstrate seriousness and for the police to do their bit.
Stiffer penalties will also help.
Online Reporter