COSGA to enforce copyright law
COSGA to enforce copyright law
Accra (Greater Accra) 16 March 2001
The new Board of the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA) has taken measures to ensure a sustainable collection of royalties on behalf of musicians.
The measures would allow musicians to be paid fair royalties on their works, the board announced on Thursday.
A statement issued in Accra, signed by Mr. Joe Mensah, President of the Board said the new prices of the adhesive label (hologram) affixed to music works for copyright protection will now cost 450 cedis per label.
This will cover 167 cedi royalties, 67 cedis Internal Revenue Service (IRS) withholding tax and 215 cedis basic hologram price, the statement said, adding, that the collection of the new royalty rates, which is stipulated in the PNDC Law 110, section 27, will start from April 7, this year.
The statement said according to the law, "the manufacturer shall, within 14 days pay royalties to the owner of the copyright, and shall have affixed to each copy of the phonogram made by him an adhesive label issued by the appropriate body or person as evidence of such payment."
The COSGA board has therefore appealed to phonogram manufacturers and music producers for co-operation to ensure the successful implementation of the law on the payment of royalties.
It asked manufacturers of music works to desist from selling or displaying for sale, music works without the adhesive label, saying it is an infringement on the copyright law.
This is the first time the copyright law is being enforced in this manner to ensure the protection of copyright owners, who hitherto live and die as paupers owing to laxity in the implementation which allowed rampant piracy of their works.
Great Ghanaian musicians such as Kwabena Okai, E. T. Mensah, Oto Larteh, E. K. Nyame and Bob Cole among others died paupers owing to the poor implementation of the law to protect them.
GRi…/
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