Appeal Court Dismisses COSON's Appeal Against NCC

The Court of Appeal, Lagos Judicial Division, dismissed an interlocutory appeal filed by the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) against the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on July 9, 2026. The court upheld the Federal High Court's decision from December 1, 2021, which refused COSON's request for an injunction to prevent the NCC from revoking its operating approval or interfering with its management and financial activities.

The appeal arose from COSON's challenge to the Copyright (Collective Management Organisations) Regulations, 2007. The Federal High Court had noted that COSON's operating approval was suspended in April 2018 and expired in May 2019, prior to the filing of the suit.

Justice Polycarp Terna Kwahar, who delivered the judgment with Justices Folasade Ayodeji Ojo and Muslim Sule Hassan concurring, stated that there was no valid operating approval for the court to preserve through an injunction. The court awarded costs of ₦200,000 against COSON.

The NCC, through Ijeoma Egbunike, confirmed the ruling, stating that COSON was not currently approved to operate as a Collective Management Organisation in Nigeria.