It is a back-to-school rush as parents and students buy school supplies such as textbooks.
However, publishers have raised concerns over the circulation of counterfeit books.
The hungry book pirates will for most of the time collude with bookshops and some schools to maintain the illegal trade.
The International Publishers Association defines book piracy as the unauthorised use, duplication, or distribution of copyrighted works such as books without permission of the copyright holders.
The Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) National chairperson Kiarie Kamau on Tuesday lamented that the distribution of counterfeit books deprives legitimate publishers and authors of their earnings.
KPA, the umbrella body of publishers said they will collaborate with law enforcement to identify and shut down the sources of the counterfeit books.
Two suspects are under police custody after they were arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit books in Nairobi.
The operation, carried out by police in collaboration with KPA led to the seizure of dozens of fake textbooks.
"We have confiscated cartons full of fake books. This exercise is ongoing, and we are hoping that we will erase the sellers,” KPA CEO James Odhiambo said.
“The circulation of counterfeit textbooks is a big issue, it has affected publishers, authors, the government and even the statutory bodies because it is denying the government relevant tax,” Kamau said.
But how can parents and students identify pirated books?
Kamau says most textbooks that are sold at throw-away prices will always have errors as a result of reproduction.
Determining if the book is authentic includes examining the glue used to bind the book together. Counterfeit books often use a different color glue than legitimate books.
“In the process of reproducing, there are so many errors that are introduced, mixing up pages and that is why you find that you have a book, you reach page 15 then it jumps to page 63. That means it is a counterfeit book,” he explained.
Publishers use check tags, unique markings and other security features to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit books.
Here are the ways to identify pirated books;
- Binding: The glue may be a different color, unevenly spread, or have a bad smell.
- Paper: The paper may be second-rate.
- Print quality: The print may be of bad quality.
- Dimensions: The book dimensions may be of low quality.
- Specialty finishing: The book may have imposed or raised text and images or foil stamping.
- Feel: The paper may feel rougher or smoother compared to a legitimate copy.
- Clarity: The printing may appear grainy, dark, or blurry.
- International Standard Book Number (ISBN): If the book differs too much from other original editions but the ISBN is the same, it’s likely a counterfeit copy.
The National Parents Association through its national chair Silas Obuhatsa proposes that the books be purchased at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to lock out hungry pirates from taking advantage of the parents.
“The government can open a big bookshop at KICD where private school owners can buy books directly. This will discourage piracy and discourage it. Parents are going through pain because nobody can refund money used to purchase the wrong book,” Obuhatsa told Star.
