The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has endorsed the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) Gocreate app, which would soon be deployed for monitoring and tracking of the use of musical works and sound recordings in the country.
According to MCSN’s CEO, Mayo Ayilaran, the app would help solve the problem of transparency that has for long confronted copyright and royalty administration. “With accurate tracking, monitoring, report and analysis of works used, either through broadcast or on any platform, beneficiaries of royalties would get fair and equitable payments for the use of their works,” he explained.
The Gocreate endorsement came through NCC’s Director, Regulatory Department, Augustine Amodu, during a recent zoom meeting where MCSN formally presented and demonstrated how the app works to the Commission. At the meeting, Onome Ojigbo took participants through an exciting experience on Google play store where the app was downloaded to individual’s android phones or devices, following which the user was prompted to either log in or sign up. During the tour of the Gocreate app, questions such as the benefits to the artistes, transparency and enforcement among others were raised and clearly answered to the satisfaction of participants.
Amodu, who represented the NCC Director General, John Asein, expressed satisfaction about the good prospect that the app would have for the creative industry. He commended the MCSN’s team and assured them that the Commission will cooperate with it in a transparent and sincere manner to ensure the success of the deployment of the app.
“NCC will work transparently and sincerely with MCSN to ensure the success of the app so that owners of musical works are adequately rewarded no matter where such works are exploited,” he said.
Ayilaran, however, assured the Commission that NCC as the regulator has a role to play, because under the copyright laws, civil and criminal redress can go on simultaneously in case of infringement.