MTN Liberia Music Awards Organizers’ Set Historical Record
2021 stage of the MTN Liberia Music Awards
..... “The licensee shall uphold the sanctity of this license agreement and shall ensure its obligation to make available to host the music awards, pay the prescribed license fees and compensate the individual artists under contract,” Decker said in an email.
The Copyright Society of Liberia has approved a license regulation for the organizer of the MTN Liberia Music Awards.
The license makes the Global Liberian Music Awards which is the organizer of the MTN Liberia Music Awards, the first award platform to comply with the country's intellectual property legislation and accompanying regulation.
It comes after COSOL earlier threatened to sue the Global Music Award for copyright violation if the just ended awards had been organized without an operational and performance rights license — kick-starting a week of negotiations which ensured compliance.
The license, which is now being unsealed, was approved a few days to the show date of November 27. It brings the organizers into compliance with section 9.6 (v) of the 2016 intellectual property act, and, “in keeping with section 5.3 of the 2021 administrative regulation for copyright license tariff for the use of music and movies in sound recording.”
The MTN Liberia Music Awards is owned and organized by the Global Music Awards, with title sponsorship from Lonestar Cell MTN. The partnership began in 2018 and, since then, the award has morphed into the country’s most prestigious music award show featured each year. It is the music industry’s highest honor — recognizing the best of artistic creativity each year.
According to COSOL Executive Director, Atty. Prince E. COSOL has issued and granted an operating non- exclusive license to the Global Liberian Music Awards , authorizing the hosting of music awards in keeping with section 10 of the copyright license tariff regulation.
“The licensee shall uphold the sanctity of this license agreement and shall ensure its obligation to make available to host the music awards, pay the prescribed license fees and compensate the individual artists under contract. for the commercial use of their music and movies, as guided by Section 10 of the Copyright,” Decker said in an email.
COSOL, a specialized agency of the government through the Liberia Intellectual Property Office, is tasked with safeguarding the economic rights of all artists across the country.
It guards their works by licensing the use, monitoring the user to enforce the conditions upon which the license has been granted, and collecting and distributing the royalty payable as a result of the licensed use.