Entertainment
COSON board meets, resolves to protect members rights
BY NICHOLAS ABE
The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s foremost collective management organisation, has resolved to continue to focus on protecting and defending the rights of its members anywhere in the world.
This resolution was reached at a physical meeting of the society’s board of directors held July 30, at the boardroom of the magnificent COSON House in Ikeja, Lagos State.
Highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the report of the historic distribution of N72.5 million, earlier approved by the board, to be paid to members across the country, to cushion the effect of the coronavirus lockdown. The board ratified the decisions and processes employed in the distribution and thanked the chairman and management for the very transparent manner it was handled.
The board also received the report of the installation of the ultra-modern version of the COSIS software for the documentation of musical works and the first-class distribution of royalties to composers and publishers which the board at its meeting of March 3 mandated management to acquire without delay. The virtual training of the personnel to manage the system is ongoing with the software suppliers in Switzerland.
With respect to the Roy Admin software for the management of sound recordings and distribution of royalties arising from the licensing of sound recordings, the board was informed that the installation will commence shortly and that following the installations, COSON House will have the most modern copyright royalty monitoring and distribution system in Africa.
The board deliberated on the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the holding of the COSON Annual General Meeting which had been held every year in the month of May since the inception of COSON. The Board concluded that with its large membership, the wide spread membership and limited facilities available to many of the members, a virtual AGM will deny a large majority of the members who may wish to participate in the AGM the opportunity to do so.
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Consequently, the 2020 AGM was scheduled to hold at the COSON House, November 12, 2020 with the expectation that the restriction on large gatherings of people would have been lifted by then.
The board directed all COSON lawyers, consultants and licensing officers all over the country to ensure that everyone owing the society for the deployment of musical works and sound recordings be made to pay up forthwith or face full legal consequences.
The meeting which was chaired by Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman of the COSON Board, was attended by members of the Board from across the country as well as the COSON General Manager, Ms. Bernice Eriemeghe, Deputy General Manager, Mr. Vincent Adawaisi and lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu of WhiteDove Solicitors.