Connect with us

Entertainment

COSON asserts authority as Nigeria’s biggest copyright society

Published

on

NCC, AVRS meet with copyright stakeholders

 

BY NICHOLAS ABE


The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) says it remains by far the biggest copyright collective management organisation in Nigeria, with membership across the federation.

It adds that it has continued to operate as a full-fledged corporate entity, representing millions of musical works and sound recordings assigned to it by thousands of members in Nigeria through legally executed Deeds of Assignment or acquired by legal agreements entered into with more than 100 CMOs around the world.

According to COSON General Counsel, Simi Wash-Pam, the society, registered 10 years ago, as part of effort by the federal government to sanitise royalty collection and distribution and give intellectual property owners in the music industry a sense of entitlement, continues to issue music copyright licences and distribute millions of Naira to its members and affiliates.

Simi said it has become necessary to clear the air about some disinformation being pushed by the “discredited music industry cankerworm”, Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN), over the status of COSON.

“It is well known that during the coronavirus lockdown, COSON earmarked the sum of 72.5 Million Naira for distribution to its members across Nigeria. The distribution was done very successfully to musicians in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. Deploying the COSON unmatched database of musicians and its sophisticated bank electronic platform, the distribution was done very transparently. There was no quarrel of any type with respect to the COSON Coronavirus distribution.

“Article 1. (9) of the CMO Regulations 2007 is crystal clear that a CMO licence is valid for a period of 3 years. The controversial MCSN CMO licence was issued on April 3, 2017. MCSN does not need anybody to inform it that its CMO license has expired since April 2, 2020. MCSN which is saying that it does not know that its licence has expired has sent an application for a renewal to the NCC! Its application has hit the rocks because of the many questions being asked by the NCC Board about its existence and the shady character of its operations.

READ: COSON announces N50m COVID-19 relief fund for musicians

“It is not true that an organization known as MCSN reserved the name “Copyright Society of Nigeria” before the COSON registration. The reservation was done by some individuals who never went to court against COSON. It is a fact that the reservation done by the individuals had lapsed before COSON was registered by CAC which is in keeping with the law. The CAC has by a letter dated 9th July 2020 informed MCSN and its lawyers that it will NOT delist COSON since the MCSN judgment which many consider perverse is on appeal. MCSN may twist the matter as it likes but the fact is that COSON continues to operate as a full-fledged corporate organization which is recognized as such by the CAC.

“It is also on record that COSON on March 11, 2020 filed an ongoing N10 billion suit against NCC led by John Asein, for flagrant abuse of power. With the legal principle of ‘lis pendes’ in operation, NCC under John Asein, who is currently facing multiple investigations for alleged corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of power, can do nothing to COSON to please MCSN. It is clear that COSON respects the rule of law and that COSON is on all fours with Nigerian law and is making the music pay for musicians across Nigeria from the magnificent COSON HOUSE in Lagos, owned by the Nigerian music industry. Anybody familiar with the records of COSON will know that COSON does not go to court in vain,” Simi explained.

The COSON lawyer added for the benefit of exploiters of musical works: “The public is hereby informed that under no circumstance is either MCSN or any of its agents authorized to represent COSON or any of the  thousands of members of COSON or lawfully license the use of any of the millions of musical works and sound recordings in the repertoire of COSON as none of the works, whether local or international, which are intellectual property belonging to individuals, has been assigned to MCSN whose controversial CMO licence expired on April 2, 2020. Not even the Nigerian Copyright Commission has the power under the law to authorize MCSN or anyone else to deal with the intellectual property lawfully assigned to COSON and no court of law has so ordered.”

Facebook Comments
Advertisement
Comments