MONROVIA: The Executive Director of the Copyright Society of Liberia, otherwise known as “COSOL” has expressed strong optimism that Liberia is poised to be a leader in copyright monitoring on the African Continent due to what he termed as the marvelous works the entity has successfully carried out since its establishment three years ago.
Marking a Special Remark on Thursday, August 17, 2023, at program marking the celebration of COSOL’s Third Anniversary, Atty. Prince Emmanuel Decker, graded the entity for its “remarkable job” aimed at rebranding Liberia’s creative sector for wealth creation for artists, other players, and stakeholders.
According to the Liberian Legal mind with vast expertise in international and local intellectual property laws and other regulations, COSOL has made many gains in protecting Liberian artists’ creative contents from piracy to other illegal usages of such contents by unscrupulous individuals and groups.
He maintains that COSOL’s is also focused on protecting the best interests of producers and owners of creative materials across the country.
The COSOL Boss emphasized the dedication and commitment of his team in bringing much-needed security and protective relief to Liberian artists who, over the years, have been victims of the illegal operations of people who are involved in piracy and other acts of criminality against owners of creative works.
Decker expressed joy that COSOL has made tremendous efforts in just three years by demonstrating its efficiency as Liberia’s only Collective Management Organization (CMO) through the collection and distribution of royalties for wealth creation.
According to Decker, the minimum timeframe to achieve such feat by international intellectual property organization is ten years, but added that through the commitment of his hardworking staff, Liberia, through COSOL, is poised to be a leader on the African continent by shifting the working dynamics toward resounding success.
Also speaking at COSOL’s Third Anniversary Program, the Deputy Director of the Liberia Intellectual Property (LIPO), Clifford Robinson, rained praises on Attorney Decker and his Team for reigniting the vibrancy of Liberia creative industry aimed at giving the necessary benefits to people who are involved in intellectual works, programs and other activities.
According to Mr. Robinson, the exuberance Decker brought to COSOL since its establishment in 2009 has placed Liberia to the pinnacle in Africa’s creative industry.
He also lauded the efforts of COSOL staff for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their boss (Decker) in the spirit of oneness, hard work, and dedication.
He stressed that these qualities have made COSOL a vibrant entity in the fight against piracy and value addition towards creativity for wealth creation.
COSOL is the secretariat within the Copyright Department of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), headed by Cllr. Pinky Adelyn Cooper, as Director General.
COSOL, as LIPO’s Secretariat, is headed by its Executive Director, Prince Emmanuel Decker.
Established in 2009 through regulation LIPO/COSOL/CR/001/2019, COSOL served as the Collective Management Organization (CMO) in Liberia.
The group is charged with the exclusive duty for collection and distribution of royalty for all creative arts.
Since the idea of copyright came about a century ago, the system in Liberia’s setting, has failed to provide specific pathways for achieving value addition for the benefit of Liberian artists.
