Friday, July 16, 2010

WIPO… providing technical strength for COSON

A technical mission of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has arrived Nigeria to provide the operational and technological assistance for country’s new sole government approved collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). The mission is to ensure that the new national CMO has everything it requires to become a world-class organization within the shortest possible time.
While in Nigeria, members of the mission will familiarize themselves with the domestic situation and obtain all the information necessary to set up a cutting edge database for documentation of musical works and sound recordings and the distribution of royalties to Nigerian owners of copyright in music. The team will also seek to establish the important links between COSON and the international copyright community.
The team has been working at the Ikeja office of COSON since its arrival in the country last Sunday. It has engaged COSON management in the updating of the methodologies and processes.
On the WIPO team is Mr. Boukary Sawadago, an expert in CMO technology. He will be responsible for the installation of the sophisticated WIPOCOS system of the World Intellectual Property Organization at COSON. Another member of the team is Mrs. Dora Makwinga. Mrs. Makwinga is the CEO of Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) regarded as one of the most successful CMOs in Africa. While in Nigeria, She will be sharing the COSOMA experience with the management of COSON.
Speaking on the WIPO mission, COSON chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji said, “We have looked forward to this day. We are clearly happy that the United Nations has cast a strong vote in support of COSON. The mission of one of its top agencies to Nigeria is historic and says clearly that the Nigerian creative community is now seriously on the world radar. 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 this mission”.
COSON acting General Manager, Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji said “We are all excited at the WIPO visit. As we all know, WIPO is an important organ with respect to intellectual property all over the globe. It is our belief that at the end of this visit we would have developed a clear roadmap for the effective management of the Nigerian repertoire.”
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the Geneva based United Nations specialized agency responsible for intellectual property matters around the world.

No comments:

Post a Comment