MCSN Warns public against music licensing fraud

The Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) has issued a general warning to the general public and business owners who exploit music, cautioning them against paying imposters for music licenses.

According to the society, evidence has emerged that individuals associated with the defunct Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) are moving across the country, allegedly collecting from unsuspecting music users under the guise of granting operational licence, an authority they do not possess. MCSN noted that COSON’s license to operate as a Collective Management Organisation (CMO) expired in 2018 following its suspension.

This administrative expiration was followed by a Federal High Court judgment on March 25, 2020, delivered by Honourable Justice Saidu, which ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to strike COSON’s name from the companies’ register. Further legal hurdles for COSON included a June 24, 2020 ruling refusing a stay of execution and a subsequent June 21, 2021 ruling affirming that COSON lacked an operating licence, a decision COSON subsequently challenged at the Court of Appeal.

The legal battle culminated on July 6, 2026, when the Court of Appeal delivered a unanimous decision affirming the Federal High Court’s ruling. The appellate court emphasised that COSON had no valid licence in the first place, noting that only an existing license could be revoked and that there was no legal basis to restrain the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).

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Despite these rulings, MCSN stated that COSON continues to flout the law by collecting money from innocent citizens. MCSN reiterated that it is the sole approved society authorised to license musical works for exploitation in Nigeria.

The organisation warned entities such as hotels, lounges, event centres, cinemas, discotheques, bars, radio and television stations, telecommunication companies, and digital platforms that dealing with COSON is a waste of resources. MCSN stated that it will come after any entity that exploits music for business without a valid licence from it.

“It has come to the notice of MCSN that an illegal body, COSON, is all over the place collecting monies from unsuspecting Nigerians under the guise of licensing them for the exploitation of music,” a statement issued by MCSN read. “The public is hereby warned that COSON is an illegal body as its license to operate as a CMO has expired since 2018 without a renewal. So anybody or institution that deals with it, does so at its own risk.”