Landmark victory for AVRS: Court affirms legal right to license hotels for audiovisual use

AVRS licensing rights upheld by a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja.

The court affirms that hotels and commercial entities must obtain proper licences for public use of audiovisual content.

This critical judgment strengthens Nigeria’s copyright enforcement and supports a transparent, cooperative licensing system for the creative sector. It’s a win for creators, industry, and law.

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Landmark Victory for AVRS: Court Affirms Legal Right to License Hotels for Audiovisual Use
AVRS licensing rights have received a powerful boost from the Federal High Court in Abuja in a ruling that marks a watershed moment for Nigeria’s creative economy.

The judge ruled that the hotel’s commercial display of protected content without an AVRS licence contravened multiple sections of Nigeria’s Copyright Act 2022.

In a landmark judgment delivered on July 24, 2024, the court affirmed the statutory authority of the Audiovisual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS) to license hotels and other business establishments for public use of audiovisual content transmitted through Pay-TV services.

Presided over by Justice Egwuatu, the court dismissed Reiz Continental Hotel’s attempt to evade licensing obligations.

The judge ruled that the hotel’s commercial display of protected content without an AVRS licence contravened multiple sections of Nigeria’s Copyright Act 2022.

The court described Reiz’s activities as profit-driven exploitation of copyrighted works.

It declared AVRS an authorised collective management organisation (CMO) and upheld its right to enforce audiovisual rights in commercial environments.

Legal and industry experts praised the decision as powerful and transformative for copyright enforcement.

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AVRS Chairman Mahmood Ali-Balogun called it a “win for Nigerian creators and the nation’s creative economy.”

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.