Audio Visual Rights Society to hold select stakeholders’ forum Sept 19

Mahmood Ali-Balogun

Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS) will on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital host a major stakeholders’ forum for copyright owners and users in the South-South of Nigeria.

The forum, which is scheduled to be held at the Le’Meridien Hotels (Ogeyi Place), GRA Phase II in the heart of Port Harcourt, will be a gathering of creators, actors, producers, filmmakers, hotels, restaurants, television stations, transport companies, video streaming services, OTT platforms, and others in Rivers State and its surrounding states. The forum will also be attended by officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Federal government agency responsible for copyright regulation, administration and enforcement in Nigeria.

Speaking on the upcoming event, filmmaker and chairman of AVRS, Mahmood Ali-Balogun said: “The Forum is aimed at providing continuous education and enlightenment on the need for commercial and public users of audiovisual works to meet their copyright obligations to AVRS in line with the extant laws. Such compliance from the users ensures that filmmakers and copyright owners in the film sectors are compensated for their creativity and labour. It also helps in boosting investments in the audiovisual sub-sector and performance of Nigeria’s creative economy at large.”

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Speaking further, Mr. Ali-Balogun said, “The Forum would also provide AVRS the opportunity to initiate functional partnerships with Rivers State Government, hotel unions, broadcast organizations and other relevant stakeholders in Rivers State and neighbouring States in the South-South and South Eastern parts of the country.”

The AVRS select stakeholders’ forum has been held several times in Lagos, Abeokuta, Abuja, Kano, Benin among others.