Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS)  Nigerias sole collective management organization for cinematograph films has commenced with licensing activities in line with its core approval mandate by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).


It would be recalled that in his first anniversary press statement in November 2015, Chairman of AVRS, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun had informed that the Society will begin the licensing users of audio visual content across the country from the first quarter of 2016. Accordingly, AVRS has initiated high level talks with leaderships of broadcasting organizations and the hospitality sector, particularly hotels and similar establishments. Others to be licensed include advertising agencies, telecommunication and transport companies, airlines and relevant airport facilities, fast food confectioneries, hospitals, banks, etc across the country.

In another development, as part of its commitment towards sustainable capacity building programs for its members, AVRS in collaboration with the Centre for African Business, Law, and Entrepreneurship (CABLE), University of California, Irvine, United States, is organizing a week- long conference focusing on various aspects of film making with a view to upscaling the corporate quality assurance profile of Nollywood.

According to a statement signed by Professor Olufunmilayo Arewa of the School of Law, University of California and made available by Mr. Ali-Balogun, the series of events which would run from February 01 to 06, 2016, would feature sessions in Los Angeles (Nollywood Meets Hollywood) where representatives of the Nollywood industry will meet with counterparts from the film and television industry in Los Angeles; a Nollywood Workshop in Irvine, California; screening of Nollywood films, and the Africa Innovation Conference 2016, which will centre around development issues related to Nollywood.

The statement further said that CABLE and AVRS are organizing the events described above as part of joint efforts to boost the creative capacities of Nigerian filmmakers and their comparative knowledge of collective management, technology and digital rights issues in film & television production and distribution.

The delegation will also be attending the 24th edition of the Pan African Film Festival,  Los Angeles taking place from February 4 to 15, 2016.

In the words of Mr. Ali-Balogun, quality assurance is part of the fundamental issues confronting Nollywood as an industry. Beyond our core mandate as a CMO, AVRS is committed to promoting individual development of its members as well as the development of Nollywood as a corporate entity. We shall therefore continue to seek growth opportunities that would benefit our members and stakeholders both at home and abroad, given that film making and collective management of copyright in audio visual works are inter-related areas constantly driven by new innovations.

The chairman once again called on users of audio visual works to meet their obligations to AVRS in order to avoid litigations which may arise from unlicensed use of such works.