Three thieves driving a truck loaded with books pirated from College Press Zimbabwe (Private) Limited have been arrested by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).
"Yes, I can confirm that we have the thieves at Harare Central Police Station in custody over the alleged crime," a Senior ZRP Officer said. "We were tipped off by members attending the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) in Harare and then made the arrests."
Top author, Cletus Ngwaru, confirmed that he had informed the ZRP that book piracy in Zimbabwe should not be allowed to go on unabated.
"There were 18 titles packed on the back of the truck which was loaded with pirated books," Ngwaru revealed.
Ngwaru said the 18 titles were worth "at least US$22 300 and came from the College Press publishing house only".
"This reality makes us think something must be done to these culprits," he told more than 400 authors gathered in Harare for the annual ZIBF two-day Indaba.
The Indaba is held before the annual Book Fair opens.
Ngwaru then spoke on the topic – "Legal Access To Copyright And The Threat Of Piracy".
"These guys, who sell books on the streets and at corners, must be immediately arrested by the ZRP. We call upon the authorities to arrest them and bring them to Court to answer the allegations levelled against them."
However, a lawyer present at the up meeting said maybe the ZRP, through the Constitution, was not legally allowed to just arrest anyone found selling books at a corner because they do not know whether the books are pirated or not and thus it can be abuse of the individual's Constitutional Rights.
"The ZRP would then be in serious trouble for their "enthusiasm"," the lawyer said.
Post published in: Arts