Piracy and its Effect on The Book Industry in Delta State

Abstract

The study sought to find out the causes of book piracy and its effect on book industry in Delta State. Six research questions guided the study. Questionnaire was the major instrument for data collection from staff of printing and publishing companies. The research design was a survey. The respondents comprised of 50 members of staff of 20 selected printing and publishing companies in Delta State. Data collected was analyzed using the weighted mean and the Likert rating scale. The analysis revealed that piracy exists as a result of high cost of books, people’s quest for ‘quick money’, high rate of unemployment and availability of modern means of reproduction such as photocopying machines, among other reasons. On the effect of piracy on the book industry, the study revealed that piracy has discouraged authors from writing more books. Consequently, it has flooded the market with poor quality books and has resulted in loss of employment for most professionals of the book publishing industry. Furthermore, piracy was also described as an economic sabotage, which the Nigerian Copyright Commission has not been able to completely wipe out. Based on the finding, recommendations were made to help curb this menace in Delta State.