Music Plagiarism: COSON Appeals to NCC to Help Members Reap Royalty

Ikenna Orioha

To strengthen hardwork, intellectual ingenuity and talent exhibition among young people, Stakeholders and members of the Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, Owerri chapter, have appealed to the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, to urgently discard any blockade placed on COSON so that it continues to generate income (money) for its numerous members, promoting foreign investment, as well growing the music industry for improved economy and better life.

The appeal to NCC to effectively assist COSON get royalties for its members is contend in a Resolution of COSON Stakeholders Forum, held at the Rockview Hotel, Owerri, on Tuesday, signed by Sir Akwaeze Edwin Mary, COSON Consultant, Imo State.
COSON warned any bank that conspires with some bad eggs in the music industry and who “without any Court order whatsoever or any genuine process of law, has decided to withhold copyright royalties belonging to innocent practitioners in the music industry and warn any such bank that there will be a substantial price to pay for such a perfidy as the music industry is capable and willing to engage in massive and sustained campaign against such a bank”.

Akwaeze Edwin Mary, COSON Consultant, Imo State

Warning that “there is no law in the country that grants anyone under any circumstance the right to the free use of the intellectual property belonging to free citizens in contravention of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of such citizens to earn income from the deployment of their property and requests that anyone who wishes to publicly and commercially deploy any of the large body of music works or sound recording in the repertoire of COSON, must seek a COSON license before any such use”, Akwaeze maintained that COSON will continue to be the shinning flag of the Nigeria Copyright System, providing succor to thousands of people across the country and that the commission was founded to undertake those activities that positively lift the lives of practitioners in the copyright sector and not to be seen in any way to be engaged in the narrow minded destruction of what is undeniably, the brightest institution ever built by the musicians.

Chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, who was represented by John Ewelukwa, Director, COSON Board, hinted that COSON has been working to ensure that registered members always get their royalties to encourage hardwork and proficiency.

“I am sure that many are surprised with everything that has been thrown at us, COSON continues to work. COSON is working because we have built an institution with significant resilience and strong roots, trust and confidence between the members and leaders and blessings and grace of God”, Okoroji hinted.

Charging members on unity and regular attendance to meeting to move forward, Hon Bismarck Ekeocha, Governor of PMAN, Imo State, instructed members who are yet to register to ensure they register with the association so that royalties of their intellectual property would reach them when necessary, saying PMAN is the legal umbrella of performing musicians in the state.

The COSON stakeholders meeting was well attended by both registered members and non- registered members.

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