November 18, 2014 – Chief Executive Officer, Chocolate City Group, Mr. Audu Maikori, has called on all those who deploy music in their businesses across the country to show respect for the copyright law by obtaining the appropriate license from Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON).
Speaking with journalists at COSON office, Maikori who is also a respected intellectual property lawyer said it has become an issue of serious national importance that in the digital age, Nigerians do not understand the economic implications of respect for intellectual property rights.
“It is not acceptable that Nigerian music should be abused rather Nigerian organizations should embrace the culture of obtaining the right permit/license for the music they use. That way, not only will they be abiding by the law, they will also be empowering the Nigerian entertainment sector which last year contributed substantially to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”, he said.
Maikori explained that the royalty system is designed to ensure that the creators of music benefit from their creativity even after years of active service.
He explained that COSON remains the only licensed collective management organization for music in Nigeria and that it in the best interest of the music industry and for the sake of posterity.
“The royalties collected by COSON are distributed through a transparent system. You can walk into the COSON office anytime and ask for the formula through which the distribution is made and you will get it. Please do not make assumptions based on hearsay”, he said.
