Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Strategic Policy and Legislative Recommendations for the Preservation of Creative Autonomy

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Creative Autonomy, Copyright and Popular Music in Nigeria

  • 151 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter proffers policy and legislative recommendations for the preservation of performing authors’ creative autonomy. For policy recommendations, Gani emphasises the importance of copyright education for performing authors, and suggests practical actions performing authors can take in public relations campaigns, negotiating recording contracts, and observing certain protocols at recording studios and live events. In view of the problems analysed in the earlier chapters, she also makes legislative recommendations for a copyright amendment bill that would, among other priorities, vest authorship of sound recordings in performing authors and reintroduce the copyright reversion clause. Finally, she asserts the importance of implementing national copyright goals based on Nigeria’s developmental realities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Supra, Chapters 6–8.

  2. 2.

    Section 28, Copyright Act 1911 of the United Kingdom made the Act applicable in Nigeria by Order-in-Council.

  3. 3.

    Supra, Sect. 4.7.

  4. 4.

    HC Deb 5 February 1841, vol 56, col 341–360, col 342.

  5. 5.

    Supra, Sect. 4.5.3.

  6. 6.

    Macaulay v Schroeder Music Publishing Ltd, op. cit.

  7. 7.

    Asein, JO, Nigerian Copyright Law and Practice, op. cit., p 38; (11 July 2013) Interview with Bankole Sodipo, op. cit.; supra, Sect. 5.2.

  8. 8.

    Waelde, C and Brown, AEL, “A Practical Analysis of the Human Rights Paradox in Intellectual Property Law: Russian Roulette”, in Grosheide, W, Intellectual Property and Human Rights; a Paradox (Edward Elgar, Cheltenham and Northampton, 2010), p 189.

  9. 9.

    Dutfield, G, and Suthersanen, U, Global Intellectual Property Law, op. cit., p 25.

  10. 10.

    Toomey, J, “The Future of Music”, op. cit., p 238.

  11. 11.

    “The Lox Biography”, available at http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-LOX-Biography/13CEF1265A9EB790482568C6001059C7 (accessed 13 April 2013); Erlewine, ST, “Artist Biography” All Music, available at https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-lox-mn0000045629/biography (accessed 2 February 2020).

  12. 12.

    Dow, D, “Jadakiss Reunites with Diddy for ‘The Last Kiss’” (2009) available at http://www.sohh.com/2009/04/diddy_endorses_jadakiss.html (accessed 13 April 2013).

  13. 13.

    “The Lox Biography”, op. cit.

  14. 14.

    Dow, D, “Jadakiss Reunites with Diddy for ‘The Last Kiss’”, op. cit.

  15. 15.

    Slaughter, J, “Lox and Diddy Settle Publishing Dispute” (2005) available at http://www.hiphopreaction.com/news/Lox-and-Diddy-settle-publishing-dispute (accessed 13 April 2013); Dow, D, “Jadakiss Reunites with Diddy for ‘The Last Kiss’”, op. cit.

  16. 16.

    “The Lox Biography”, op. cit.

  17. 17.

    Elkin-Koren, N, “Copyright Policy and the Limits of Freedom of Contract”, op. cit., p 110.

  18. 18.

    “Rapper Mase Calls out Diddy over Publishing Rights” (31 January 2020) The Associated Press, available at https://apnews.com/9570ae13e6e80485557864362dba67e2 (accessed 2 February 2020).

  19. 19.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.1.

  20. 20.

    “Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria”, information available at http://pmanonlinenet.fatcow.com/about.html (accessed 27 February 2020), supra, Sect. 3.2.

  21. 21.

    Article 1 (1) “Objects of PMAN”, op. cit.

  22. 22.

    Article 1 (4) “Objects of PMAN”, op. cit.

  23. 23.

    However it has been alleged that the Association has suffered from poor management and that the welfare of its members needs to be prioritized, Ben-Nwankwo, N, “PMAN Resembles Nigeria Where Many Presidents Come to Make Money – Felix Duke” (29 September 2012) Punch, available at http://www.punchng.com/feature/encounter/pman-resembles-nigeria-where-many-presidents-come-to-make-money-felix-duke/ (accessed 23 October 2012); Nwachukwu, C, “Nigerian Music Nigeria—A New Dawn for Nigerian Music Industry”, op. Cit.; supra, Sect. 3.2.

  24. 24.

    Supra, Sect. 4.2.3.

  25. 25.

    Try, A, “A Musician’s Introduction to Copyright” (2009) available at http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/a-musicians-introduction-to-copyright/ (accessed 27 February 2020).

  26. 26.

    (11 July 2013) Interview with Bankole Sodipo, op. cit.

  27. 27.

    Supra, Sect. 4.5.

  28. 28.

    Schulenberg, R, Legal Aspects of the Music Industry, op. cit., p 194.

  29. 29.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.1.

  30. 30.

    Asein, JO, “Redefinition of First Ownership Under Nigerian Copyright Law; Lessons from an Inchoate Mutation” (2007) 38 (3) International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law, pp 299–316, p 313.

  31. 31.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.2.

  32. 32.

    Bagehot, R, Music Business Agreements, op. cit., p 147.

  33. 33.

    Supra, Sect. 6.3.

  34. 34.

    Supra, Sect. 6.3.1.

  35. 35.

    Hadley v Kemp, op. cit.

  36. 36.

    Frith, S and Marshall L (eds), Music and Copyright, op. cit., p 14.

  37. 37.

    Davis, J, Intellectual Property Law, op. cit., p 35; Frith, S and Marshall L (eds), Music and Copyright, op. cit., p 67.

  38. 38.

    Hilty, RM and Nérisson, S (eds), Balancing Copyright—A Survey of National Approaches (Springer, Verlag, Berlin, et al., 2012), p 1.

  39. 39.

    Asein, JO, Nigerian Copyright Law and Practice, op. cit., p 38, he asserts that Nigerian case law on copyright is in its budding phase and that in the absence of preferred Nigerian precedents, courts may resort to guidance from the case laws of other countries, especially common law countries.

  40. 40.

    Podlas, K, “The Moral of the Story…Musical Artists Must Protect Their Own Rights in Digital Music”, op. cit., p 271 and p 287.

  41. 41.

    Sodipo, B and Fagbemi, B (eds), Nigeria’s Foreign Investment Laws and Intellectual Property Rights, op. cit., p 158 and p 178; Shyllon F, Intellectual Property Law in Nigeria, op. cit., p 34.

  42. 42.

    Toomey, J, “The Future of Music” (2002) 10 (2) Intellectual Property Law Journal, pp 221–244, p 224; the importance of copyright education for performing authors was discussed, supra, Sect. 9.2.2.

  43. 43.

    Supra, Sects. 6.3.2 and 6.3.3.

  44. 44.

    Section 1 (1) Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  45. 45.

    Davis, J, Intellectual Property Law, op. cit. p 35; supra, Sect. 5.2.1.

  46. 46.

    Supra, Sect. 1.8.2.

  47. 47.

    Section 6 (1) (a) (iii) Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  48. 48.

    Section 6 (1) (a) (v) Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  49. 49.

    Par i, Second Schedule, and Third Schedule, Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  50. 50.

    Okediji v Osanyin (Suit No. FHC/IB/12/90); nevertheless, derivative works made without the permission of the copyright owner of the primary work from which it is inspired may still be liable for copyright infringement, Asein, JO, Nigerian Copyright Law and Practice, op. cit., p 6; derivative works may be made from other derived works in a continuous cycle of cultural evolution.

  51. 51.

    Landes, WM and Posner, RA, The Economic Structure of Intellectual Property Law, op. cit., p 110.

  52. 52.

    Ibid., p 111; supra, Sect. 1.8.2.

  53. 53.

    Supra, Sect. 1.8.4.

  54. 54.

    It was observed earlier in this book that the Nigerian popular music industry appears to operate on only 20% of its discovered authorial resources, supra, Sect. 4.2.1.

  55. 55.

    Supra, Sect. 6.3.2.

  56. 56.

    Presupposing that the artist is the performing author, the word ‘artist’ itself implies proficiency in a distinct set of skills further lending credence to the performing author’s role in the making of sound recordings.

  57. 57.

    Section 51 (1) par 6 Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  58. 58.

    Ibid.

  59. 59.

    Section 51 (1) par 28 Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  60. 60.

    Supra, Chapters 6 and 8.

  61. 61.

    Supra, Sect. 6.3.2.

  62. 62.

    Supra, Sect. 6.4.

  63. 63.

    Infra, Sect. 9.3.3.

  64. 64.

    Supra, Sect. 8.3.

  65. 65.

    Section 73 Labour Act L1, LFN 2004 (Nigeria).

  66. 66.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.2.

  67. 67.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.1.

  68. 68.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.3.

  69. 69.

    Zang Tumb Tuum Records Ltd v Johnson, op. cit.

  70. 70.

    Article 7 (1) Berne Convention 1886.

  71. 71.

    Article 7 (6) Berne Convention 1886.

  72. 72.

    Asein, JO, Nigerian Copyright Law and Practice, op. cit., p 109.

  73. 73.

    Paragraph 1 and paragraph 3, First Schedule, Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  74. 74.

    Section 12 (2) CDPA 1988 (UK) provides for copyright in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, for the life of the author and seventy additional years. Section 13A (2) (a) of the Act provides copyright for sound recordings, for 50 years from the end of the year it was made; the UK position is reflective of Article 1 (1) Directive 2006/116/EC of the European Union; similarly US federal position on copyright duration provides for the life of the author and an additional seventy years, section 302 (a) Copyright Act 1976 (USA).

  75. 75.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.1.

  76. 76.

    Fred Fisher Music Co v Witmark & Sons [1943] 318 US 643, p 656.

  77. 77.

    Supra, Sect. 1.8.2; section 31 UrhG 1965 (Germany).

  78. 78.

    Section 41 (1) UrhG 1965 (Germany).

  79. 79.

    Ibid.

  80. 80.

    Section 41 (4) UrhG 1965 (Germany).

  81. 81.

    Section 203 (2) Copyright Act 1976 (USA).

  82. 82.

    Section 203 (a) (3) Copyright Act 1976 (USA).

  83. 83.

    Section 11, Statute of Anne 1710, 8 Anne, c19 (UK).

  84. 84.

    Thomas, D, Copyright and the Creative Artist (Institute of Economic Affairs, London, 1967), p 22; Bently, L and Ginsburg, JC, “‘The Sole Right…Shall Return to the Authors’: Anglo-American Authors’ Reversion Rights from the Statute of Anne to Contemporary US Copyright” (2010) 8 (23) Columbia Public Law & Legal Theory Working Papers, pp 1–95, p 3.

  85. 85.

    Thomas, D, Copyright and the Creative Artist, op. cit., p 23.

  86. 86.

    Bently, L and Ginsburg, JC, “‘The Sole Right…Shall Return to the Authors’: Anglo-American Authors’ Reversion Rights from the Statute of Anne to Contemporary US Copyright”, op. cit., p 2 and p 6.

  87. 87.

    Ibid., p 3.

  88. 88.

    Statute of Monopolies 1624, 21 Jac, c3 (UK).

  89. 89.

    Bently, L and Ginsburg, JC, “‘The Sole Right…Shall Return to the Authors’: Anglo-American Authors’ Reversion Rights from the Statute of Anne to Contemporary US Copyright”, op. cit., p 6 and p 8.

  90. 90.

    Suthersanen, U, “The First Global Copyright Act” (2012) 106 Queen Mary University of London, School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper, pp 1–41, p 4.

  91. 91.

    Thomas, D, Copyright and the Creative Artist, op. cit., pp 22–23.

  92. 92.

    Ibid.

  93. 93.

    Harrington, JE, “Copyright Duration” (1962) 11 Copyright Law Symposium, pp 96–112, p 112.

  94. 94.

    Miller Music Corp v Charles Daniels, Inc [1960] 362 US 373; Mills Music, Inc. v Snyder [1985] 469 US 153; Harrington, JE, “Copyright Duration”, op. cit., p 99.

  95. 95.

    Bently, L and Ginsburg, JC, “‘The Sole Right…Shall Return to the Authors’: Anglo-American Authors’ Reversion Rights From the Statute of Anne to Contemporary US Copyright”, op. cit., p 24.

  96. 96.

    Supra, Sect. 8.4.2; advances paid to performing authors at the beginning of recording contracts may be recouped from mechanical royalties, further reducing the potential revenue of performing authors; Schulenberg, R, Legal Aspects of the Music Industry, op. cit., p 194.

  97. 97.

    Thomas, D, Copyright and the Creative Artist, op. cit., p 22; Landes, WM and Posner, RA, The Economic Structure of Intellectual Property Law, op. cit., p 42.

  98. 98.

    Section 304 (c) (5) Copyright Act 1976 (USA); Penguin Group (USA) Inc. v Steinbeck [2d Cir. 2008] 537 F3d 193; it has been argued that the decision in Steinbeck undermines the legislative intention to grant an inalienable reversion right to authors and their statutory successors, Menell, PS and Nimmer, D, “Judicial Resistance to Copyright Law’s Inalienable Right to Terminate Transfers” (2010) 33 (2) Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, pp 227–239, p 233.

  99. 99.

    Section 203 (b) (1) Copyright Act 1976 (USA).

  100. 100.

    Supra, Sects. 6.3.2 and 9.3.1.

  101. 101.

    Supra, Sects. 4.2.1 and 4.3.1.

  102. 102.

    Supra, Sect. 6.3.3.

  103. 103.

    Third Schedule, Copyright Act 2004 (Nigeria).

  104. 104.

    Schulenberg, R, Legal Aspects of the Music Industry, op. cit., p 35.

  105. 105.

    Ibid., p 36.

  106. 106.

    Toomey, J, “The Future of Music”, op. cit., p 236; Wong, KC, “Beyond the Gap: A Practical Understanding of Copyright’s Termination of Transfers Provisions” (2012) 27 (1) Berkeley Technology Law Journal, pp 613–644, p 615.

  107. 107.

    Schulenberg, R, Legal Aspects of the Music Industry, op. cit., p 35.

  108. 108.

    Macaulay v Schroeder Music Publishing Ltd, op. cit.; Zang Tumb Tuum Records Ltd v Johnson, op. cit.; supra, Sect. 8.4.1.

  109. 109.

    Harrington, JE, “Copyright Duration”, op. cit., p 99.

  110. 110.

    Section 304 (c) (5) Copyright Act 1988 (USA).

  111. 111.

    Section 304 (c) (2) Copyright Act 1988 (USA).

  112. 112.

    Under the US Copyright, intention to revert grants of copyright must be notified not less than two years or more than ten years before the intended date of reversion, section 203 (a) (4) (A) Copyright Act 1976 (USA).

  113. 113.

    Wong, KC, “Beyond the Gap: A Practical Understanding of Copyright’s Termination of Transfers Provisions”, pp 620–621.

  114. 114.

    Supra, Sect. 6.3.

  115. 115.

    Vetrone, AV, The Legal and Moral Rights of all Artists, op. cit., p 51.

  116. 116.

    Meng, B, “Property Right or Development Strategy: Protection of Foreign Copyright in 19th Century America and Contemporary China” (2007) 11 Media@LSE, Electronic Working Papers, pp 1–23, available at http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/4034/1/Property_Right_or_Development_Strategy.pdf (accessed 27 February 2020), p 3.

  117. 117.

    Article L131-3 Intellectual Property Code 1992 (France).

  118. 118.

    Article 31 (5) UrhG 1965 (Germany).

  119. 119.

    Section 203 (a) Copyright Act 1976 (US).

  120. 120.

    Section 203 (a) (1), ibid.

  121. 121.

    Article 41 (1) UrhG 1965 (Germany).

  122. 122.

    Section 203 (3) Copyright Act 1976 (US).

  123. 123.

    Section 203 (a) (5), ibid.

  124. 124.

    Section 203 (b) (1), ibid.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Scholar, London, UK

    Mary W. Gani

Authors
  1. Mary W. Gani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Gani, M.W. (2020). Strategic Policy and Legislative Recommendations for the Preservation of Creative Autonomy. In: Creative Autonomy, Copyright and Popular Music in Nigeria. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48694-5_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48694-5_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-48693-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-48694-5

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation