Mr. John O. Asein, Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has given assurances that the Commission would continue to interrogate the tariffs set by collective management organisations (CMOs), in consideration of the realities of the Nigerian environment and prevailing global practices.
The Director-General made this known while speaking at a consultative meeting with executives of the Hotel Owners Forum, Abuja (HOFA), held at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.
President of HOFA and leader of the delegation, Barrister (Mrs.) Funmi Kazeem, urged the NCC to come to the aid of its members who are already overburdened by various taxes and levies, lamenting that the recent demands from some CMOs were excessive.
She decried the manner in which certain CMOs were making demands on hotels without taking cognizance of economic realities, particularly the hardship occasioned by the recent Covid-19 pandemic.
Responding, the Director-General observed that the collective management regime in Nigeria has an inbuilt dispute settlement mechanism allowing the Commission to arbitrate between CMOs and users of works. He assured members of HOFA that the Commission would at all times promote win-win solutions in the interest of parties and the industries they represent.
“The Commission is committed to helping the various components of the creative industries to grow within the copyright system. One of the objectives of the copyright system is to find a balance such that users of copyright material can succeed in business while the right owners get adequate recompense. It is our duty to ensure that none of these interests suffers”, he declared.
The Director-General commended the executives of HOFA for reaching out to the Commission as an affirmation of their faith in the ability of NCC to help parties navigate through the issues in a way that would be congenial to the continued survival of businesses in the hospitality and creative industries.
The Director-General further called on members of HOFA, particularly hotel owners to help ensure that their premises were not used as outlets for pirated materials.
He announced that working with HOFA, the NCC would soon introduce measures to help proprietors of hotels carry out their due diligence on booksellers and vendors of other copyright materials to ensure that they are not outlets for pirated materials.
On her part, the HOFA President assured the Director-General of her members’ commitment to supporting the renewed anti-piracy campaign of the Commission. She welcomed the initiative to check the incidence of copyright infringements on their premises.
Other delegates of HOFA at the meeting were its Head of Administration, Miss. Okany Rose Chime; the General Secretary, Mr. Onofiok Ekong; the Assistant General Secretary, Mrs. Evelyn Chidolue; and the Ex-Officio, Hon. Charles Odedo.
