RAYMOND DOKPESI BATTLES NIGERIAN MUSICIANS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT.

 COSON FILES N10 BILLION NAIRA SUIT AGAINST DOKPESI’S RAY POWER & AIT IN AFRICA’S BIGGEST COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT ACTION 

Do you remember how those days, the military used to think that it was bigger than the country? That is how Dopkesi is feeling with Nigerian artistes right now. If the news am hearing is true.

CHINEDU CHUKWUJI
COSON GM

Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s government approved collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings has filed a Ten Billion naira copyright infringement action against Daar Communications Plc, Nigeria’s biggest privately owned broadcast network which operates stations such as Ray Power FM, Faaji FM and Africa Independent Television (AIT) scattered all over Nigeria. The suit No. FHC/L/CS/1392/13 filed on October 7, 2013 on behalf of COSON at the Federal High Court, Lagos by crack Intellectual Property lawyer, Mr. Justin Ige, is the biggest known copyright infringement action ever in the African continent.

In the action, COSON is asking for the sum of N724, 500, 000. 00 (Seven Hundred and Twenty Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) being amount due as royalties or license fees.

COSON is also asking for general and exemplary damages and a perpetual injunction restraining Ray Power FM, Faaji FM and Africa Independent Television (AIT) managed by Chief Raymond Dokpesi, their agents, privies or servants from further or other unauthorized copying, broadcast of musical works or sound recordings belonging to the members, affiliates and assignors of COSON and/or infringement of the copyright in the musical works or sound recordings belonging to the members, affiliates and assignors of COSON.
MY OPINION... 
Dokpesi should give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. He should remember the days(several years ago) when Ray power and AIT was going to be shot down by banks cos they were owing. Nigerian musicians did everything they could to help him survive. 
Raypower and AIT are living and surving by the intellectual properties of musicians. NO MUSIC NO RAYPOWER FM. WORD!