NCC Threatens Deejays With Jail Term If They Fail To..

There is fire on the mountain: a jail term for Deejays, who refuse to abide by a latest policy directive from the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).

They risk a 5-year jail term fire if they fail to obtain a license from the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte, MCSN, before performing to the public

In a statement released yesterday by the regulatory body, it said failure to obtain a license from MCSN constituted copyright infringement, punishable by a fine of N1 million or imprisonment for five years or both.

“Under section 9 and 12 of the Copyright Act 2022, the owner of copyright in a musical work or sound recording has the exclusive right to reproduce, perform or communicate it to the public.

“Engaging in any of these acts without the owner’s authorization constitutes an infringement under the Act. Such infringement may constitute a civil or a criminal offence under section 44(7), punishable upon conviction by a fine of not less than N 1000,000.00 (One million naira) or imprisonment for a term of not less than five (5) years”.

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Informing that public performance of music, whether at hotels, event centres, clubs, or recreational facilities, requires a license, the NCC said it would not hesitate to investigate, arrest, and prosecute Deejays who fail to comply with the law,

The Commission stated that it will be working with the Deejays Association of Nigeria ,DJAN, to facilitate payment of royalties and ensure compliance.