Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC Charges Tony Okoronji, COSON To Court For Operating Without Approval.

The war in the house of the entertainment industry in Nigeria is far from being over as there is another twist to the whole saga plaguing the sector with the shift that has just happened this after the regulatory body for the sector took the bull by its horn to sue the management of the Copyright Society of Nigeria Ltd. COSON, her Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji and two others to court for operating as a collecting society without approval.

The document made available to us has it that Chief Tony Okoroji was sued alongside Mrs. Bernice Eremiegbe and Miss Anne Okomi for carrying out the duties of a collecting society without the approval of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC. In the Charge No FHC/L/338C/18, filed on the 8th of October 2018 at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, the accused persons were alleged to have performed the duties of a collecting society by demanding and collecting royalties from Noah’s Ark of 9, Sowemimo Street, GRA, Ikeja Lagos and carrying on the business of negotiating and granting licenses on behalf of Copyright owners without the approval of the Nigerian Copyright Commission and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 39(4), (5) and (6) of the Copyright Act Cap C 28 Laws of the Federation of Nigerian 2004.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Copyright Commission had on the 30th of April 2018, pursuant to relevant provisions of the Copyright Act and the Copyright (Collective Management Organization) Regulations 2007, suspended the license it granted to COSON to operate as a collecting society following the refusal of the management of COSON to comply with directives of the commission issued after an investigations into a lingering dispute in the governing board of COSON which led to conflicting claims by two groups as the legitimate governing boards of the society.

Check out the documents below!!!