The Federal High Court in Lagos has barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and 20 commercial banks from releasing, transferring, or using copyright levy funds received by the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) in connection with sound recordings.
According to Premium Times, Justice Ambrose Lewis‑Allagoa granted an interim Mareva injunction, ordering MCSN to preserve the funds “intact” and render accounts of any levy money linked to sound recordings. The injunction remains in place until the next hearing on 12 March.
The ruling followed an application by the Record Label Proprietors’ Initiative (RELPI) and 11 major record labels, including Mavin Records, Davido Music Worldwide, Chocolate City Music, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment Africa, who opted out of MCSN’s collective management arrangement.
RELPI argued that MCSN has no authority to administer levy funds for sound recordings, as its mandate covers only musical works and songwriters. Chinedu Chukwuji, RELPI’s National Coordinator, said the labels control a dominant share of the Nigerian sound recording market and gave RELPI authority to enforce their rights. He warned that releasing funds to MCSN could make it nearly impossible to trace or recover amounts due to the labels.
The court directed the CBN, its agents, and 20 banks, including Access Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank, UBA, and Ecobank, to preserve the funds and submit affidavits within three days detailing amounts credited to MCSN. MCSN is also barred from withdrawing, transferring, or otherwise dealing with the funds until the court determines who is legally entitled to them.
MCSN has not filed a counter‑affidavit and will respond when the matter returns to court.
