AVRS makes grand entrance into Rivers State

Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), Nigeria’s sole collective management organisation for audiovisual works berths in the garden city of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 for a major stakeholders’ forum for copyright owners and users in the South – South of Nigeria.

The select stakeholders’ forum which is scheduled to hold at the prestigious Le’Meridien Hotels (Ogeyi Place), GRA Phase II in the heart of Port Harcourt will be an important gathering of creators, actors, producers, filmmakers, hotels, restaurants, television stations, transport companies, video streaming services, OTT platforms, etc. in Rivers State and its surrounding states. The forum will also be attended by officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Federal government agency responsible for copyright regulation, administration and enforcement in Nigeria.

Speaking on the upcoming event, foremost filmmaker and Chairman of AVRS, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun said, “the Forum is aimed at providing continuous education and enlightenment on the need for commercial and public users of audiovisual works to meet their copyright obligations to AVRS in line with the extant laws. Such compliance from the users ensures that filmmakers and copyright owners in the film sectors are compensated for their creativity and labour. It also helps in boosting investments in the audiovisual sub-sector and performance of Nigeria’s creative economy at large.”

Speaking further, Mr. Ali-Balogun said, “the Forum would also provide AVRS the opportunity to initiate functional partnerships with Rivers State Government, hotel unions, broadcast organizations and other relevant stakeholders in Rivers State and neighbouring States in the South-South and South Eastern parts of the country.”

The AVRS Select Stakeholders’ Forum has been held several times in Lagos, Abeokuta, Abuja, Kano, Benin, etc.