BOOK AND NEWSPAPER REGISTRATION
ACT, 1961 (ACT 73)
As amended by
THE BOOK AND NEWSPAPER
REGISTRATION (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1963
(ACT 193)1
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
PART I—REGISTRATION OF BOOKS AND
NEWSPAPERS
1. Three copies of books to be
delivered to Government within a
month of being printed.
2. Catalogue to be kept.
3. Publication of memoranda
registered.
4. Penalty for non-delivery of
books by printer.
5. Penalty for non-supply of books
by publisher.
6. Regulations.
7. Government publications.
PART II—REGISTRATION OF NEWSPAPER
PROPRIETORS
8. Register of newspaper
proprietors.
9. Annual return to be made.
10. Penalty for omission to make
return.
11. Return of change in
proprietorship.
12. Return of change of editor,
publisher or printer.
13. Penalty for wilful
misrepresentation in or omission
from return.
14. Registrar to enter returns in
register.
15. Certified copies in, and
extracts from, register to be
evidence.
16. Printers to print name, etc.,
on every newspaper.
17. Power to make regulations.
18. Interpretation.
19. Repeals and savings.
SCHEDULES
First Schedule
Second Schedule
Form A
Form B
Form C
SEVENTY-THREE
ACT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF GHANA
ENTITLED
THE BOOK AND NEWSPAPER
REGISTRATION ACT, 1961
AN ACT to consolidate with
amendments enactments providing
for the preservation of copies of
books printed in Ghana and the
registration of books and
newspapers.
DATE OF ASSENT: 10th August, 1961
BE IT ENACTED by the President and
the National Assembly in this
present Parliament assembled as
follows:—
PART I—REGISTRATION OF BOOKS AND
NEWSPAPERS
Section 1—Three Copies of Books to
be Delivered to Government Within
a Month of Being Printed.
(1) For the purposes of this Part
"book" includes every volume, part
or division of volume, pamphlet,
sheet of letterpress, newspaper,
sheet of music, map, chart, or
plan separately produced, but does
not include price lists, trade
circulars, trade advertisements,
or other legal or business
documents.
(2) A printed copy of every book
which is published in Ghana
together with all maps, prints or
other engravings belonging
thereto, and also of any second or
subsequent edition which is
published shall or shall continue
to be, within one month after the
day on which such book is first
taken out of the press and
notwithstanding any agreement
between the printer and publisher
about the publication of such
book, delivered free of charge by
the printer to each person or
institution specified in the First
Schedule to this Act, and the said
book shall be delivered with a
memorandum containing the
particulars mentioned in section
2(2) of this Act.[As substituted
by The Book and Newspaper
Registration (Amendment) Act, 1963
(Act 193) s. (a)].
(3) The President, on the advice
of the Cabinet, may, by
legislative instrument, amend the
said First Schedule to this Act as
respects any class or description
of book specified in the
instrument. [As substituted by The
Book and Newspaper Registration
(Amendment) Act, 1963 (Act 193) s.
(a)].
(4) The publisher or other person
employing the printer shall supply
him—
(a) within a reasonable time
before the expiration of the time
specified in subsection (2), with
all maps, prints, and engravings
finished and coloured which may be
necessary to enable him to comply
with the requirements of this
section,
(b) with any information required
for the preparation of the
memorandum referred to in section
2 (2) of this Act.
(5) A written receipt shall be
given by the officer or person, to
whom any copies of books are
delivered under this Act.
Section 2—Catalogue to be Kept.
(1) There shall continue to be "A
Catalogue of Books and Newspapers
printed in Ghana", for the
registration of books.
(2) Any person registering a book
under this section shall submit to
the officer in charge of the
catalogue referred to in
subsection (1) a memorandum on the
book containing (so far as may be
practicable) the following
particulars:
(a) the title of the book and the
contents of the title page with a
translation into English of the
title and contents when they are
not in the English language;
(b) the language in which the book
is written;
(c) the name of the author,
translator, or editor of the book;
(d) the subject;
(e) the place of printing and the
place of publication;
(f) the name or firm of the
printer, and the name or firm of
the publisher;
(g) the date of issue from the
press or of the publication;
(h) the number of sheets, leaves,
or pages;
(i)
the size;
(j) the number of the edition;
(k) the number of copies of which
the edition consists;
(l) the price at which the book is
sold to the public; and
(m) the name and residence of the
proprietor of the copyright or of
any portion of such copyright.
Section 3—Publication of Memoranda
Registered.
The memorandum registered during
each quarter in the catalogue
shall be published in the Gazette,
as soon as may be after the end of
such quarter.
Section 4—Penalty for Non-Delivery
of Books by Printer.
Every printer who contravenes any
provision of section 1 (2) of this
Act shall be liable to a fine not
exceeding five pounds.
Section 5—Penalty for Non-Supply
of Books by Publisher.
Every publisher or other person
employing any printer who neglects
to supply him with any matter or
information required under section
1 of this Act which may be
necessary to enable the printer to
comply with the provisions of this
Act, shall be liable to a fine not
exceeding five pounds.
Section 6—Regulations.
Regulations may provide for the
exclusion of any class of books
from the operation of the whole or
any section of this Part.
Section 7—Government Publications.
This Part shall not apply to books
printed by the Government Printer
for or on behalf of the
Government, except as directed by
the Minister.
PART II— REGISTRATION OF NEWSPAPER
PROPRIETORS
Section 8—Register of Newspaper
Proprietors.
There shall continue to be a
register of the proprietors of
newspapers.
Section 9—Annual Returns to be
Made.
(1) It shall be the duty of the
printers and publishers of every
newspaper to make or cause to be
made to the registry office within
one month after its first
publication, and thereafter
annually in the month of January
in every year, a return of the
following particulars in the form
set out in Form A in the Second
Schedule to this Act, namely—
(a) the title of the newspaper;
(b) the name and place of
residence of the editor;
(c) the name, place of business,
and place of residence of the
publisher;
(d) the name, occupation, place of
business and place of residence of
any proprietor;
(e) the name, place of business,
and place of residence of the
printer; and
(f) the total circulation for the
year prior to the making of the
return, and the average daily,
weekly, or other circulation, as
the case may be, for that year.
(2) No return of circulation shall
be required during the first year
of publication. [As amended by The
Book and Newspaper Registration
(Amendment) Act, 1963 (Act 193),
s(b)]
Section 10—Penalty for Omission to
Make Return.
If no return is made as to any
newspaper within the period
referred to in section 9 of this
Act, then each printer and
publisher of the newspaper shall
be liable to a fine of twenty-five
pounds and in addition shall be
ordered to make a return within a
specified time.
Section 11—Return of Change in
Proprietorship.
Any person who was a party to a
transfer of or dealing with any
share or interest in any newspaper
whereby any person ceases to be a
proprietor, or any new proprietor
is appointed, may at any time make
or cause to be made to the
registry office a return according
to Form B in the Second Schedule
to this Act and containing the
particulars therein set forth. [As
amended by The Book and Newspaper
Registration (Amendment) Act, 1963
(Act 193), s(b)]
Section 12—Return of Change of
Editor, Publisher or Printer.
When any person is appointed as a
new editor, publisher or printer,
as the case may be, of a
newspaper, he shall within seven
days of his appointment make or
cause to be made to the registry
office a return according to Form
C in the Second Schedule to this
Act and containing the particulars
therein set forth and any failure
so to do shall render the offender
liable to a fine not exceeding
fifty pounds. [As amended by The
Book and Newspaper Registration
(Amendment) Act, 1963 (Act 193),
s(b)].
Section 13—Penalty for Wilful
Misrepresentation in or Omission
from Return.
If any person knowingly and
wilfully makes or causes to be
made any return required or
permitted to be made by this Act
in which he inserts the name of
any person as a proprietor of a
newspaper who is not a proprietor
thereof, or in which there is any
misrepresentation, or from which
there is an omission in respect of
any of the particulars required to
be contained therein whereby such
return is misleading; or if any
editor, publisher, proprietor or
printer of a newspaper knowingly
and wilfully permits any such
return to be made which is
misleading as to any of the
particulars with reference to his
own name, occupation, or place of
business or residence; then and in
every such case every such
offender shall be liable to a fine
not exceeding one hundred pounds.
Section 14—Registrar to Enter
Returns in Register.
It shall be the duty of the
Registrar forthwith to register
every return made in conformity
with this Part in a book to be
called "The Register of Newspaper
Proprietors". Any person may
search and inspect the book during
the hours of business at the
registry office; and any person
may, on payment of a fee of one
shilling, require a copy of any
entry in or an extract from the
book to be certified by the
Registrar.
Section 15—Certified Copies in,
and Extracts from, Register to be
Evidence.
(1) Every copy of an entry in and
every extract from the register
purporting to be certified by the
Registrar shall be received as
proof of the contents of the
register so far as it appears in
that copy or extract, without
proof of the signature thereto;
and every certified copy or
extract shall in all proceedings,
civil or criminal, be accepted as
prima facie evidence of all the
matters thereby appearing, unless
the contrary is otherwise shown.
(2) A certificate purporting to be
signed by the Registrar that he
has received no return, or no
return before a certain date, with
regard to a particular newspaper
shall in all proceedings, civil or
criminal, be accepted as prima
facie evidence of the fact of such
non-receipt.
Section 16—Printers to Print Name,
Etc., on Every Newspaper.
(1) The printer of every newspaper
shall print on the first or last
page of it his name and occupation
and place of residence, and the
name of the editor and the name of
the publisher.
(2) Any person who prints any
newspaper without complying with
the requirements of subsection (1)
or sells, publishes, disperses or
assists in publishing or
dispersing any newspaper on which
the name and occupation and place
of residence of the printer and
the names of the editor and the
publisher are not printed shall
for every copy so printed, sold,
published, or dispersed be liable
to a fine not exceeding five
pounds.
Section 17—Power to make
Regulations.
The Minister by legislative
instrument may make regulations
for giving effect to the
provisions of this Act.
Section 18—Interpretation.
In this Act, unless the context
otherwise requires—
"book" has the meaning given to it
by section 1 (1) of this Act;
"Minister" means the Minister
responsible for Information;
"newspaper" means any paper
containing public news or
occurrences, or any remarks or
observations thereon printed for
sale and published periodically or
in parts or numbers at intervals
not exceeding two months between
the publication of any two such
papers, parts or numbers;
"occupation" when applied to any
person means his trade or
following, and, if none, then his
rank or usual title;
"place of residence" includes the
street or quarter or place where
the person to whom it refers
resides;
"printed" as applied to books,
means produced by printing,
lithography, or any other like
process;
"printer" has a corresponding
meaning;
"Registrar" means the
Registrar-General;
"registry office" means the
principal office for the time
being of the Registrar.
Section 19—Repeals and Saving.
(1) The Book and Newspaper
Registration Ordinance (Cap. 124)
and the Newspaper Registration
Ordinance (Cap. 125) are repealed.
(2) Every statutory instrument
made under any of the enactments
repealed by this Act and in force
immediately before the
commencement of this Act shall
continue in force as if made under
the corresponding provision of
this Act.
FIRST SCHEDULE
(Bodies to be supplied with books)
Ghana Library Board
The Registrar-General
The Library of the University of
Ghana
The Library of the Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and
Technology
The Library of the University
College of Cape Coast
The Library of the Ghana Academy
of Sciences and
The Library of the Kwame Nkrumah
Institute of Economics and
Political Science. [As inserted by
Book and Newspaper Registration
(Amendment) Act, 1963 (Act 193)
s.(c).]
SECOND SCHEDULE
FORM A
(Section 9)
ANNUAL RETURN UNDER THE BOOK AND
NEWSPAPER REGISTRATION ACT, 1961
PARTICULARS OF NEWSPAPER REQUIRED
Name of person making the Return
..............................................................................
Office
Name of Editor
Editor's Residence
Name(s) of Publisher(s)
Place of Business of Publisher(s)
Place of Residence of Publisher(s)
Name(s) of Proprietor(s)
Place(s) of Business of
Proprietor(s)
Place(s) of Residence of
Proprietor(s)
Name of Printer
Place of Business of
Printer
Place of Residence of
Printer
Period of publication
Circulation for previous year
(i) Total
(ii) Average per issue. (Not
required on first
registration)
(a) (b) (c)
(d) (e) (f)
(g) (h) (i)
(j) (k) (l)
(m) (n) (o)
This Return was made to me
by on
the day
of 19
Registrar.
FORM B
(Section 11)
RETURN OF CHANGE IN PROPRIETORSHIP
UNDER THE BOOK AND NEWSPAPER
REGISTRATION ACT, 1961
Title of Newspaper Names of
persons who cease to be
proprietors Names of persons who
become proprietors
Occupation of new proprietors
Places of business of new
proprietors Places of
residence of new
proprietors
This Return was made to me
by on the
day of
19.........
Registrar.
FORM C
(Section 12)
RETURN OF CHANGE OF EDITOR,
PRINTER OR PUBLISHER UNDER THE
BOOK AND NEWSPAPER REGISTRATION
ACT, 1961
Name of person making the Return
.................................................................................
Title of Newspaper
(a) Name(s) of new person(s)
appointed
(b) Capacity in which
appointed
(c) Place of business of
new person appointed
(d) Place of residence of
new person appointed
(e)
Title of Newspaper
This Return was made to me
by on
the day
of 19
Registrar.
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