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| Okoroji |
The Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON),
Chief Tony Okoroji has reacted to the reported court judgment in a case filed
twelve years ago by Mr. Mayo Ayilaran against him.
In a public statement issued following media
reports of the judgment, the celebrated former president of PMAN said, “I am a
great respecter of our judicial system and will continue to do whatever I can
to promote the system which has been very important in the work that I do.
Because judges are human beings and make mistakes, a critical part of the
judicial system in Nigeria is the appeal process. With all due respect to her
lordship in this case, it is our belief that the judgment is against the weight
of the evidence in the matter. My lawyers and I have discussed the development.
We are already taking the necessary steps to vigorously contest the judgment”.
Chief Okoroji who for several years has been
Africa’s most well-known campaigner for intellectual property rights went
further to say, “So much has happened to me in the long battle for the respect
of the rights of creative people in our country. I am convinced that if we are
not willing to make the required sacrifice, we may not leave the right legacy
for the next generation. Much of what one has faced in this struggle has great
capacity to break a man. I thank the Almighty for keeping my will unbroken and
for enabling me to continue to work with others to create a brighter future for
the Nigerian creative community. My commitment to the cause remains
unshaken and solid”
Concluding his statement, the author of the ground
breaking book, Copyright & the New Millionaires said that any
celebration of victory by anyone because of the court decision is premature. In
the words of Okoroji, “I can assure all persons interested in the development
of the intellectual property system in Nigeria that the last has not been heard
of this matter”.
Reacting to the development, COSON General Manager,
Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji said, “It is important that the general public is not
misled into thinking, as has happened in the past that this decision which is
being robustly contested has any bearing on the work being done by COSON or the
status of Mr. Ayilaran’s MCSN. For the avoidance of doubt, the decision in no
way changes the fact that Mr. Ayilaran’s MCSN remains unapproved and that both
Mr. Ayilaran and his MCSN are currently facing several criminal charges at the
Federal High Court, Lagos in Charge No FHC/L/18/2012; Charge No FHC/L/19/2012;
Charge No FHC/L/20/2012; Charge No FHC/L/351/2012; Charge No FHC/L/352/2012; Charge
No FHC/L/353/2012 and Charge No FHC/L/336/2009. The above charges are apart
from the criminal charges being faced by Ayilaran in Abuja.
“We also wish to publicly state our unflinching
support for Chief Tony Okoroji, our Chairman, whose long standing
commitment to the defence of the rights of creative people across the continent
is unimpeachable”
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