Copyright Collective Rights Management In Nigeria

The Copyright Society of Nigeria is the sole collecting society licensed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to manage the rights and the repertory of musical works belonging to its member-artistes. Even though the Copyright Act 2 generally accommodates the registration of more than one collecting society by the regulatory body, it limits such registration to a single body in any given class of rights unless the NCC determines that the rights of the affected artistes are not adequately managed by the existing collecting society. This restriction, introduced by the Act, has resulted in the de facto existence of a collecting society (COSON) with sole (and perhaps absolute) authority to manage musical works and sound recordings to the exclusion of any other entity in Nigeria. Whether this state of affairs is desirable and meets the needs of its members is questionable, and it is equally doubtful whether this outcome was intended by the drafters of the Copyright Act