COSON issues stern warning on copyright infringement

At a press conference held at the Ikeja, Lagos, office of the CopyrIght Society of Nigeria (COSON), board member and Copyrght Lawyer, Audu Maikori warned that the Society would now proactively pursue corporate institutions misusing artiste copyrights. He made clear that the Society could no longer stand by and watch the flagrant abuse of artist copyright. He gave what amounted to a final opportunity for peaceful resolution, by inviting corporate organisations to come forward and apply for licences from COSON for playing and performance of artist media. His comments came to a background of a recent Judgment of the Federal High Court, once again reinforcing COSON's position as the sole collecting society in Nigeria, authorised by law.

Maikori, who is also the CEO of one of Nigeria's most prominent Entertainment companies Chocolate City Entertainment, stated further: “It is not acceptable that Nigerian music should be abused rather Nigerian organizations should embrace the culture of obtaining the right permit/license for the music they use. That way, not only will they be abiding by the law, they will also be empowering the Nigerian entertainment sector which last year contributed substantially to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). ‘The royalty system is designed to ensure that the creators of music benefit from their creativity even after their active years and that the generations after them have something to fall back on. COSON is at the forefront of ensuring this. For the first time in so many years, Nigerian music creators can actually make money from the use of their works and the nation will benefit from the thousands of jobs which the entertainment industry has the capacity to create."

This clearly marks another phase in the long-standing Nigerian Copyright protection saga. However, COSON's drive appears to be one of the most serious drives at ensuring a holistic Copyright protection regime. Industry watchers have welcomed the move and look forward to a positive outcome.