QUESTIONABLE PAYMENT OF
OVER N120 MILLION BY MULTICHOICE NIGERIA LIMITED AND COLLECTION BY TONY
OKOROJI’S DEFUNCT COSON.
QUESTIONABLE
TRANSACTION UNCOVERED!!
It is regrettable that a
major broadcaster in Nigeria like MULTICHOICE NIGERIA LIMITED has chosen to
deny Nigerian Musicians of their hard-earned royalties by making illegal
payment of over 120 Million to the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), the proscribed and unlicensed entity, to the detriment of Nigerian and Foreign
Artists and Right Holders.
We have it on good
authority that COSON is not a CMO and has no power to collect any royalties on
behalf of Nigerian Musicians. So what was the money paid by Multichoice to
COSON meant for?
Note that COSON’s LICENSE
WAS SUSPENDED AND REVOKED by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) as far
back as 2018 for refusal to submit to Forensic Audit as its members were not
satisfied with the Organization for objectionable and questionable practices.
It is pertinent to further
note that Multichoice decided to collude with a nonexistent Organization (by
Law and as pronounced by the Court) even in the clear evidence which is abound
and DSTV cannot claim ignorance of the Law as it stands today and for all time
in Nigeria.
We believe this is one of
the financial crimes in which the EFCC should also be interested.
This we are aware may not
be unconnected to the Multichoice Nigeria Limited vs Musical Copyright Society Nigeria
(MCSN) case in which the Court of Appeal confirmed the Judgment against
Multichoice and the order of a court for Multichoice to pay N5.9 Billion to
MCSN.
We have been following
events and we know that Multichoice has filed its Notice of Appeal and for this
reason we would not want to comment on the case that is still in Court and
would allow the Supreme Court to determine the case on its merit.
However, we are aware that
some individuals have been boasting that they can move to “walk the corridors
of the Supreme Court in Nigeria” with a small fraction of the judgment sum and
get the Judgements of the Lower Courts (Federal High Court and Court of Appeal)
set aside in the N5.9 billion judgment against Multichoice Nigeria Limited.
We have been informed that
they have also continued to boast that the case will take another 10 years or
more before it would be heard thereby wanting the world to believe that the
Nigerian judicial system is slow or does not work. We would like them to know
ahead that COPYRIGHT is a “Choose in Action” (as pronounced by the Supreme
Court) and as such the court is the ONLY place this issue can be resolve and
rightly so. Therefore PMAN will not sit and watch MULTICHOICE
DEFRAUD right owners by colluding with a Revoked and proscribed Collective
Management Organization like the defunct COSON. PMAN strongly believes in the
Judiciary and the Temple of Justice.
Our Judges are upright and
would not compromise the name that they have built over the years for such
injustice as it affects the musicians of this great country Nigeria.
This case is definitely
more than an Election or Political case as the Lives of our musicians and
Youths who are laboring every day to showcase Nigeria in good light through
Music is dependent on their ROYALTIES and they should not be allowed to
continue to wallow in poverty by these “CABAL” in the Industry. We trust the
Supreme Court would give this case the Urgency it deserves and save the talented Nigerian Youths from the hands of these slave drivers.
We hereby give notice to
Multichoice that should there be any slight unethical move by anyone or a lawyer or any attempt to subvert justice to the detriment of Nigerian
Musicians, PMAN will act swiftly in the best interest of Nigerian Musicians and
would no longer tolerate where users of. copyright works and imposters
continue to destroy and defraud our Industry thereby killing creators who are
dying daily from abject poverty and hunger due to these malevolent acts against
practitioners in Nigeria.
Multichoice has continued
since the inception and establishment of its business in Nigeria to exploit our
commonwealth just like other known South African companies without paying due
royalties to the creators of the contents in Music practically.
It is a known fact and as
confirmed by the Managing Director of Multichoice, Mr. John Ugbe, that
Multichoice had over 9 Million votes in the recently concluded Big Brother
Naija Season 5 which amounts to over 27 Billion Naira made during the show
apart from the monies made through sponsors and advertisements. Despite all the
gains, MULTICHOICE has refused to pay the Musician whose Intellectual works
they have continued to exploit and infringe daily in their operation and
broadcast
PMAN calls on ALL relevant
authorities particularly the NCC and the NBC to further investigate and
prosecute anyone found wanting especially as it concerns the illegal operations
of COSON as a CMO against the Copyright Act 2004 LFN at Section 39 and
unlicensed broadcasts of music contents by any broadcaster in Nigeria as
provided in the National Broadcasting Commission Act and Codes.
Pretty Okafor
PMAN President.
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