Publishers call on State to curb trade in counterfeit books

Publishers have appealed to the Government to fight the counterfeit books trade, which they say is killing morale of writers by denying them earnings from their creative works.

Moran Publishers Sales Manager Jerry Onyango said authors and publishers in Kenya lose millions of shillings from counterfeit copies.

Mr Onyango said 60 per cent of bestselling titles have been counterfeited; a situation he said, not only deprived royalties to those involved in book publishing, but also denied the Government millions in revenues.

"Publishers are losing millions through counterfeited titles. Some of the counterfeit copies are printed abroad," said Onyango on the sidelines of the just concluded Kenya Primary School Heads Association conference in Mombasa.

He said the counterfeit trade denied royalties to writers, graphic designers, artists and other parties in the publishing sector and was responsible for dipped morale and creativity among writers.

He faulted local anti-counterfeit agencies for sleeping on the job by failing to arrest those involved in the trade. "We have reports that some of the counterfeit copies are printed abroad, which make us wonder how they find their way back into the country without the knowledge of the anti-counterfeit agencies," he said.

He called on the Government to levy punitive fines to discourage the practice, noting the current fines are too light to deter those involved in the illegal trade. "The current fines are too light to discourage the crime. Those involved easily pay the fine and continue with the vice. A fine of Sh30,000 to someone who has made millions from the trade is like pocket change and is unlikely to deter them from the practice," he said.