COSON promises to defend artistes’ rights

The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) on Tuesday restated its resolve to end the abuse of artistes’ rights by some organisations. In a statement in Abuja, the society said some organisations had over the years used Nigerian music for their corporate gains at the expense of the artistes. Mr Chibueze Okereke, the Head of Communications, Media and Strategy in the organisation, said in the statement that the society would not hesitate to take legal action against such organisations to protect the rights of the artistes. According to the statement, the society will not relent in its effort to bring to justice errant copyright infringers as no organisation is above the law. The statement quoted the General Manager of COSON, Mr Chinedu Chukwuji, as saying that the recent suit filed against a media conglomerate was long overdue. Chukwuji said the lawsuits came after steps were taken by COSON for the organisations to comply. He advised various organisations to obey the copyright laws to prevent legal actions against them. The general manager said the society operated in accordance with the law and with the support of the international copyright community, insisting that no one was above the law . He warned that any persons infringing on copyrights with regards to musical works and sound recordings would be brought to book