GIBA and ICTM agree on payment of royalties

Accra, Feb. 23, GNA - The Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA) has agr= eed to charge members of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Associations (GIBA) a flat rate suitable for the Ghanaian environment. This would not be based on what other countries are implementing using a percentage of gross revenue to be the basis for charging copyright fess. This was the agreement reached by a four-member committee chaired by Major E. Owusu-Adansi (Rtd) to work out modalities for the payment of royalties to music rights owners through the Interim Copyright Management Team (ICMT) Overseeing COSGA.

It was agreed that GIBA members with effect from 2011 pay royalties based on some rates to various radio stations. Community and Institutional FM and radio stations are exempted from paying any copyright fees, while rural commercial FM radio station are to pay GH¢150 per year.

Urban and sub-urban comm ercial FM radio stations under categories by the National Communications Authority, sub-urban commercial FM radio statio= n in category A will pay GH¢1,600 annually while category B will attract GH¢1,300 annually. Urban commercial radio, category A will pay GH¢4,000 annually and category B GH¢2,000 annually.

With regard to television stations, national A, national B, local and terrestrial pay television and satellite stations will be free. National television stations are those whose presence is in more than five regions.

National A category constitutes foreign television stations and those with components of foreign ownership and directorship. National B category constitutes indigenous television stations with Ghanaian ownership and directorship. Mr Carlos Sakyi, a Musician and Member of ICMT said the agreement was a bitter struggle to transform the embattled copyright sector and ensure that creators of intellectual property works benefited from their sweat and toil and arrest the decline of artistic expression in Ghana. "This also marks the beginning of wealth creation for creators, signalling an end to their impoverishment," he added. Mr Sakyi said an inhospitable environment that had for several years characterised the copyright industries was finally giving way to an enablin= g environment where respect for creators of intellectual property would be an integral part of the Ghanaian psyche and payment for the use of other peopl= e creative works would be natural. He said ICMT would assist owners and users of copyright works in finding permanent solutions to the peculiar challenges facing the copyright industry particularly in the area of royalty collection and distribution. Mr Sakyi commended the negotiating team from GIBA and ICMT for coming up with a world standard grassroots, innovative, made-in-Ghana agreement based on compromise and mutual respect.