Public Performance Right in Copyright Works in Nigeria

Abstract

Public performance right in literary or musical works and sound recording has been given international recognition in many international treaties. Section 6 and 7 of the Nigerian Copyright Act gave recognition to this right when it vest on owners of literary or musical work and sound recording the exclusive control of public performance of their works. The aim of this paper is to examine the basic provisions on public performance right in respect of copyright works under the Nigerian Copyright Act; highlight collective administration of public performance right and identify the challenges of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) in effectively administering public performance of musical works and sound recordings with the view of proffering solutions to it.

Keywords: public performance, musical works, literary works, performance