Telecoms giant, Etisalat, has been slammed with an N11 billion lawsuit barely a month after their competitor, MTN was sued for N16 billion by the Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON.
The latest is coming from the collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings in Nigeria.
Joined in the suit at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos is Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Ltd, the parent company of Etisalat.
COSON accused the network provider of copyright infringement.
It claimed the company used sound and recordings of its members in the telecoms’ shows and platforms including Etisalat Music Concerts, Festivals, award shows, product activations, Etisalat Easytunez platform; the Etisalat Cloud 9 Platform and others.
COSON has asked for an account of all profits made by Etisalat, its agents, privies and servants from the infringements of copyright in music belonging to it (COSON), its members, affiliates and assignors.
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/756/2016, COSON also asked for a perpetual injunction restraining Etisalat, its agents, privies and servants from the continued unauthorized copying, communication to the public, streaming, selling, broadcasting, making available for downloading and permitting the unauthorized performance to the public and infringement of the copyright in the musical works and sound recordings belonging to members, affiliates and assignors of COSON.
The association claimed as a result of the refusal of Etisalat to pay royalties for the musical works and sound recordings deployed in its operations, the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been denied several millions of naira being Value Added Tax (VAT) and other taxable income accruable to the government from the royalties.
