Chairman,
Copyright Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, has said that there will be
no hiding place for telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria who do not
respect the intellectual property rights of creative people whose works these
companies exploit for profit.
Speaking
at the COSON Stakeholders’ Forum which took place in Ibadan on September 8,
2016, Chief Okoroji said, ‘’If the ‘telcos’ think we will allow them have a
copyright safe haven in Nigeria, they are wrong; if the telcos think we will
get tired of pressuring them to do the right thing, they are very wrong; If the
‘telcos’ believe that we will ever stop asking them to give to Peter what
belongs to Peter, they are absolutely wrong’’
According
to the former president of PMAN, in the digital age, the telecommunication
companies have become first line players in the distribution of music. He
insisted that it will be suicidal for the music industry not to insist that
these companies play within the rules and in accordance with the law.
Chief
Okoroji said that since COSON decided to take to court the matter of the horrendous
copyright infringement engaged in by some of the telecommunication companies, the
companies have resorted to ‘cheap and unimpressive blackmail and divide and
rule tactics’.
A
visibly angry Okoroji said to the forum, ‘’Some of the ‘telcos’ have begun to
issue press releases and launch insidious campaigns suggesting to our
stakeholders that COSON is working against the interest of its members. They are
carrying on a whispering campaign telling Nigerian musicians that by upholding
their rights and exposing the massive injury being done to them, COSON is
endangering their careers. They are even trying to give the impression that by
appointing a few Nigerian artistes as their ‘brand ambassadors’, the music
industry should kneel down and grovel to them when these companies go home with
about 70% of the income from every piece of music they sell while the artistes,
the record labels, the VAS companies fight over a mere 30% of the money. The composers and publishers who create the
music do not even get one naira as these companies rob Peter to pay Paul. And
we are supposed to keep quiet? They want to turn us into slaves in our land?
God forbid!
Chief
Okoroji went on to say, ‘’Somebody should tell these companies that we are
committed to this fight and committed to a new Nigerian economy based on the respect
for the rights of creative people. We want the telecommunication companies to
thrive in Nigeria but they cannot thrive by stealing the intellectual property
of Nigerians. Rather than resolve the issues and work with us in a meaningful
way that can ensure the sustained growth of the Nigerian economy, they want to
play ‘Super man’ with the money they collect from Nigerian subscribers some of
who are the same creative people they are stealing from. I don’t believe they
know us. We have notified the Nigerian Communications Commission and the
Nigerian Copyright Commission. We have informed President Muhammad Buhari. We
will take on these companies whichever way they want it and for as long as they
want it’’.
Speaking
on the side lines of the forum, frontline singer, Azeezat Allen, said, ‘’You
can see how angry the chairman is. Maybe the telecom companies should consult
the broadcast industry and ask them how their threat of banning the music of
COSON members from the airwaves worked out. Everyone will recall that the
matter even went to the courts and to the National Assembly but at the end of
the day, the broadcast industry had to sit down and negotiate with COSON and an
agreement was reached. That was exactly the case with the hotel industry too.
What they may not know is that Chief Okoroji, the chairman of COSON is one of
the authors of the Nigerian Copyright Law. He knows the law like the back of
his hands and probably no one in Nigeria understands its application more than
he does. He has written extensively on the subject and his books are being
applied by lawyers and judges. He teaches the subject around the world. These
telecom companies might get some SAN and pay him some big money but at the end
of the day, they will do what they have to do. Anyone who knows Okoroji will
tell you that he does not start something and not finish it. Is that the man
they want to take on? I am sorry for them.’’
