COSON holds summit on rules of engagement in digital environment

September 9, 2015 – Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) is planning to host a  summit on establishing the basic rules of engagement in the digital environment.

COSON is holding the summit in collaboration with Growth & Employment Projects (GEM) Nigeria and it is supported by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment and funded by the World Bank and the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID),

The summit is slated for Eko Convention Center, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, on September 28 and 29 with the theme “Establishing the Basic Rules of Engagement in the Digital Environment.”

The two-day event provides an opportunity for key players in the production and distribution of music in the digital era in Nigeria to engage with copyright experts to determine the basic rules of engagement in the digital environment in order to ensure that every person or organization in the value chain can get a fair deal, a condition necessary for stability and growth of the music industry.

The summit will have in attendance copyright experts from around the world such as Tarja Koskinen-Olsson, International Adviser at Olsson & Koskinen Consulting, Finland & Sweden and former President, International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO); Robert Hooijer, International Consultant on Collective Management of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights and former CEO of International Confederation of Societies of Authors & Composers (CISAC) and current Coordinator of International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) for Sub Saharan Africa; Inger Elise Mey, Director of Online Media, Broadcast and International Licensing at TONO, the Norwegian Performing Rights Society; Nothando Migogo, CEO CAPASSO, the mechanical rights society in South Africa and former Managing Director, DALRO South Africa and Warrick Percy, Head Digital Licensing, CAPASSO, South Africa among others.

Speaking on the event, COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji said he expects to see every serious player in the music industry at the summit.

“ I mean songwriters, performers, music publishers, music label owners, music aggregators, digital service providers, telephone companies, computer manufacturers, government regulatory agencies, etc. The summit is critical as the production and distribution of music has gone almost completely digital. New business models are emerging. The distribution process is changing rapidly. The summit is not a talk shop. It is an opportunity to agree on how to move forward so that everybody’s interest is protected and the Nigerian music industry can grow and meet its true potentials. Everyone who wants to survive in the new environment ought to be at the Digital Music Summit,” he said.