MCSN to Sue Over COSON’s Alleged Theft of Member Names

“THE Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN), through its Counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, (SAN), has called on the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to recall, cancel and revoke the approval given to the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) to operate as a collecting society with immediate effect following the discovery of false claims and misrepresentation in the processes of the approval of COSON as a collecting society.

In a letter dated April 18, 2012, Pinheiro disclosed that in the membership list submitted to the NCC by COSON to support its application for approval as a collecting society, which is a necessary condition, more than 80% of the genuine names are actually members of the MCSN or its affiliates.

MCSN also alleged that more than 50 per cent of the names in the membership list of COSON is fake or just repetition of names aimed at making the membership profile of COSON appear impressive. MCSN therefore wants the copyright commission to revoke the approval given within 90 days for clear misrepresentation with clear intention to mislead the NCC and the general public or it will sue the NCC to compel compliance.

The letter, which was addressed to the Director General of NCC, also disclosed that COSON had also made a false claim of having the expertise and machinery to run a collecting society only to turn around to lease out the approval granted it by the NCC to an accounting firm which has no knowledge, experience or expertise in collective management.

According to the petition, MCSN alleged that the approval for COSON to operate as a collecting society was corruptly granted with a view to displacing and supplanting MCSN, which has been operating since July 20, 1984.

“One of the bases under the relevant provisions for the grant of such approval is the claim of representation of copyright interests which has now been discovered that COSON does not have.

The letter further claims that “some of these assignors and members of our client who became aware that their names had been included in COSON’s list have formally written to COSON protesting their inclusion in the list of an organisation with which they have no relationship whatsoever.

Copies of the protest letters are attached herewith for your information and records”. . .” – News credit: The Sunday Tribune