Nigeria Content Online

The
Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has taken another step towards
reforming the Nigerian music industry, by launching a project to create
a comprehensive database of musical works and content creators in the
country. The society wants all copyright owners of sound and music
recordings in the country to provide it with detailed information on
their work. Copyright owners can supply the details in person at
COSON’s office in Ikeja, Lagos, or online at www.cosonng.com.

According to COSON,
Nigeria currently lacks a functional database of its music recordings
and creators. “We have discovered from the thousands of files at COSON
that a lot of songwriters have not provided a complete list of their
works. Some have provided none at all. Where there are publishers or
co-authors, the information is scanty. Others have changed addresses
without notifying COSON,” said Mr Vincent Adawaisi, the group’s Head of
Data Technology.

The
information-gathering project is coming on the heels of COSON’s
landmark deployment of a digital management system for musical works
and digital recordings. The technology, WIPOCOS, was installed in July
by experts from the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO).

COSON was in May
2010 recognised by the Nigerian Copyright Commission as a Collective
Management Organisation (CMO). It is Nigeria’s only government-approved
CMO. As a CMO, COSON is empowered by law to administer all rights and
royalties pertaining to sound and music recordings in Nigeria. To do
this, the organisation must depend on a comprehensive database of
musical works and their creators and copyright owners. “If these
copyright owners do not update the information in the system, it may
affect the royalties they collect at the end of the day and we don’t
want that to happen,” Mr Adawaisi said.

The Chairman of COSON, Tony Okoroji, is excited about the
organisation’s potential to transform the Nigerian music industry.
Speaking during the visit of the WIPO mission to Nigeria in July, he
said, “I have no doubt that the work we are doing at COSON will
fundamentally revolutionise the music industry in Nigeria. I am proud
of the COSON board and the brilliant young management team… We intend
to make the best use of this opportunity to build a solid legacy for
the Nigerian creative community. We look forward to working closely
with WIPO in the days to come and thank the Nigerian Copyright
Commission for supporting the mission.”