The Copyright Society of Liberia (COSOL) is a Secretariat and Enforcement Arm of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO). LIPO is the Liberian Government’s Agency responsible for the protection of persons’ intellectual properties (music, movies, Books, scientific inventions, photographs, etc.) from illegal use by other persons or institutions.
By: Samuel G. Dweh—Freelance Development Journalist
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The Executive Director of COSOL is Mr. James Y. Draper. He is a former Executive Secretary of the Liberian National Commission for the United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO); former Assistant Minister for Tourism at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism (MICAT); and former Consultant on Intellectual Property at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry; and an Arts and Craft specialist.
COSOL celebrated its 4th Anniversary on the 4th of October, 2024. The Anniversary was held at the LIPO’s compound, which is the fence of the former Ministry of Labor (MOL) compound. The place is adjacent the General Services Agency (GSA) of the Liberian Government, located on United Nations Drive, Monrovia.
Individuals who graced the Anniversary included musicians, movie producers, writers, comedians, photographers, and Heads of Associations and Unions of comprising of individual Creators as members.
LIPO was represented by its Director-General, Madam Garmai Koboi; and the Deputy Director-General Mr. Clarence H. Cole.
The Liberian Government was part of the Anniversary. Two persons represented the Government. They were the Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Madam Scolastic Nyenkan-Nimley—representing the Minister Proper, Amin Modad; and the National Ambassador for Arts & Culture, Mr. Kekura Kamara, appointed by President Joseph Nyumah Boakai. Hon. Kekura Kamara was a popular Actor, of the Movie “Malawala-Balawala” before Liberia’s civil war, and former president of the Liberia National Culture Union (LINCU), a private group, during the Presidency of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and during the Presidency of George Manneh Weah.
COSOL’s Executive Director gave the Overview of the program.
“Today we are celebrating what we had not celebrated over a century. The first Liberian Copyright Law was enacted in 1911 during the Presidency of Arthur Barclay, thirteenth President of Liberia,” the COSOL Executive announced to the audience, beginning his Overview.
He added that all legal instruments have the focus of international human rights, which includes property rights,
“On this premise, Liberia, a Signatory of the establishment of the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO, joined other Countries to protect international property rights.”
He also talked about Liberia’s passage of the new Intellectual Property Act in 2016, “which saw the establishment of COSOL in 2019, and the operationalization of COSOL in 2020,” he explained further.
“COSOL’s Mission is to transform fame to wealth. We will join forces to ensure that all pending Conventions, Treaties, and Protocols of Intellectual Property relative to the Arts will be ratified by the National Legislature of Liberia,” Executive Director James Y. Draper concluded his Overview.
The next speaker was the Director-General of Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), Madam GarmaiKoboi.
She began with expression of her personal and her entity’s gratitude to the Liberian Government for creating a “safe environment” for Liberian creators in the various artistic sectors to enjoy the fruits of their artistic labours. This was followed by her thanking the Creators for honoring COSOL’s invitation for the anniversary, and last was the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for its presence.
“The welfare package (Checks) given to members of the creativity industry is not “royalties”.
“We reconnect to you because of your hard works,” she said to the creators of intellectual productions.
She warned them against giving their works free to financially privileged persons on the basis of promotion.
“For musicians, don’t give your songs free to owners of radio stations or Disc Jockeys, and say ‘promote me’. No, don’t do that. Your song is your intellectual property from which you will support yourself and your family. If you have children, their school fees will come from your music,” she cautioned.
She also cautioned artists against doing business without contractual agreement with those to use their intellectual properties.
“If somebody washes your back, you should wash your front,” she alluded to a creative person who places his or her entire financial burdens on another person.
She also warned creators who go solo on their works, instead of working through an Association or a Union.
“If we don’t work together as a team, we won’t succeed,” she said.
In the concluding part of her remarks, she and her office is always open for any individual artistic creator, Association, or Unionthat wants to work with LIPO, or to be educated on contract writing.
“Creative people should not continue begging,” she pointed out what majority of Liberian creative people in all artistic sectors have been experiencing during each of the Governments in post-civil war time.
She informed the audience about the economic challenges musical artistes in Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties are experiencing, which she personally saw during LIPO’s program in each County.
For his remarks, the Deputy Director-General of Copyright within LIPO, Mr. Clarence H. Cole began with showering praises on his superior officer, D.G. Garmai Koboi, as a “workaholic leader”
He cautioned the artists and the Union or Association against “division”.
“Success comes quick through working together,” he said.
The Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Madam Scholastic Nyekan-Nimley, represented the Minister-proper—Amin Modad.
She began with relaying her boss’s goodwill message to LIPO, COSOL, and the Creators.
“During each program of my Ministry, we use Liberian songs and Liberian comedians,” she said.
She told the audience that during her fraternity’s visit to Sierra Leone, she heard Liberian music over Radio stations in that Country, and interacted with some of them.
“We should celebrate our musicians, comedians, and other artistic creators as Nigerians do their compatriots in the artistic industry,” she advised her compatriots.
She explained a story about a popular Nigerian international comedian who had declared to her international audience: “I behave stupid for you to laugh, so I get money.”
On the Government (through the Commerce Ministry)-Liberia Intellectual Property Office mutually beneficial economic partnership, she said: “LIPO’s success is the Government’s success. Incomes earned by artists in the various industries are tax-deductable, which Government uses for development of other sectors not directly related to Arts,” she reminded the audience.
The last speaker was the National Arts and Culture Ambassador, Hon. Kekura Kamara. He promised to ensure COSOL get the necessary support from the Government for the artistic industry for the development of Liberia.
“The sector has been dormant for too long, which resulted to artists not benefiting from the fruits of their labours,” he said.
The Anniversary was spiced by Christian and secular songs; and Comedies.
The first song, Christian, was “Jehovah, You Bless Me o”, was by Sayon Mayson who infused the “dancing spirit” in everybody in the hall with his live performance.
The secular songs were by other popular Liberian musicians.
The Comedies were by two popular Liberian Comedians also performed at the event. The first was Roseline Weedor (Stage Name: “Ma Mary”) who cracked other participants’ ribs with her ‘Comic English’—“I does not read”. The second comic performance was by Sundaygar Dearboy who got the participants laughing madly with his comedy in his vernacular—Bassa (of Grand Bassa County)
The in-door Anniversary ended with COSOL’s distribution of its “Welfare Package” (Checks) to Artists who had registered with COSOL. The Checks were given in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry that has oversight responsibility for LIPO
“Over 250 Artists attended the occasion,” COSOL’s Executive Director told reporters in an exclusive interview after the event.
