The Nigerian
Copyright Commission (NCC) says it has
suspended the Operating License of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) as
a Collective Management Organisation for music and sound recordings in Nigeria.
The commission disclosed this in Statement signed
by its Head of Public Affairs, Ijeoma
Egbunike,and made available to Newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
According to the statement, the suspension is to
enable the Commission undertake necessary compliance checks on COSON in line
with relevant provisions of the Copyright (Collective Management Organisations)
Regulations 2007.
“COSON is henceforth suspended from negotiating
and granting copyright licences, collecting royalties on behalf of Copyright
owners, or otherwise performing any functions of a Collective Management
Organisation, except otherwise directed by the Commission.
“The Directive became necessary in view of the
need to safeguard funds belonging to owners of Copyright in Music and Sound
Recordings, whose works are administered by COSON.
“The
Director-General of NCC, Mr. Afam Ezekude noted that the suspension is a
follow-up to the continued failure and/or refusals of COSON to carry out the
directives of the Commission.
“The General Manager of COSON has been directed to
forward to the Director-General, NCC, within 7 days, details of all bank
accounts operated by COSON,”the statement reads.
Egbunike recalled that the Commission had received a petition from some members of the
Governing Board of COSON, requesting the Commission to intervene and
investigate decisions from its Extra Ordinary General Meeting.
“After due
consideration of the petition, the Commission issued directives to the
Management of COSON, not to implement certain decisions irregularly taken at
the extraordinary General Meeting held on December 19, 2017.
“Those decisions were ostensibly in breach of
statutory provisions and regulations guiding the operations of COSON ,for which
its managemnet did not comply.
“This
underminds the efficient administration of COSON to the utter disadvantage of
authors and right owners in Music Industry.
“The
continuing defiance of COSON Management to the directive of the Commission is a
clear indication of its unwillingness to operate within the framework of the
Copyright Act and Regulations for which there are clear consequences and
sanctions.COSON is the sole
collective management organisation (CMO) approved by the Nigerian Copyright
Commission (NCC).
It
acts on behalf of authors, composers,
performers, publishers of musical works and owners of sound recordings in
Nigeria.