ARSOG members urged to pay royalties

Members of National Association of Audio-visual Rights Society of Ghana (ARSOG) have been urged to pay their royalties to avoid falling victims to the Copyright Law, 2005.

Mr Stanley Samuel Saki Sackey, ARSOG Board Member responsible for Brong-Ahafo, said this at a sensitisation seminar for the Sunyani municipal members on Thursday.

The two-day programme, organised by the national executives of the association, educated members on their rights and responsibilities and the need to ensure a strict adherence to the Copyright Law.

Mr Sackey said under the Legislative Instrument 2005 (Act 690,) anybody using music or movie to enhance his or her business outside the perimeters of his or her home would have to pay a required royalty or tariff to be determined by the national body of ARSOG.

The difference between the re-introduced Ghana Television Licence fee and that of ARSOG, he said, is that owners of TV sets are required to pay the TV license for possessing the TV set.

Mr Sackey said ARSOG’s collection is based on the content of the TV (movie or music) owned by any businessman/woman, placed at any vantage point like a hotel reception or inside a drinking bar, aimed at enhancing the business of the user.

He said the collection of user licensing fee has begun in most of the regions and announced that of Sunyani municipality would commence before the end of July.

Chief Inspector Lawrence Adombire of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Headquarters said the objective of the revised law is to increase the revenue base of ARSOG to help care and assist the aged members of the group.

Mr Robert Yaw Odei, Regional Representative of ARSOG, said every member is expected to pay a life-time membership fee of GH? 20.00 and monthly dues based on the business run by the individual.