COPYRIGHT SOCIETY OF GHANA vs AFREH [1999]DLCA122

Date	1999-12-23
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1999]DLCA122

ESSILFIE-BONDZIE JA

TWUMASI JA

ARYEETEY JA

RODNEY HEWARD-MILLS FOR THE PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT.

ATIVOI KLUDZE FOR THE DEFENDANT-RESPONDENT.

[1999]DLCA122
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">COPYRIGHT SOCIETY OF GHANA<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">AFREH<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1999-2000] 1 GLR 135<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black .5pt;padding:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black .5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Date: 23 December 1999<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>RODNEY HEWARD-MILLS FOR THE PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT.ATIVOI KLUDZE
FOR THE DEFENDANT-RESPONDENT.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________CORAM:ESSILFIE-BONDZIE,
TWUMASI AND ARYEETEY JJA___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________JUDGMENT OF TWUMASI JA.<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal lodged by the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA)
(hereinafter called the appellant) against the ruling of the High Court, Kumasi
delivered on 3 October 1997 by which the court made an emphatic pronouncement
that the appellant had no legal right whatsoever to enforce any payment of
royalties or copyright fees against members of the National Drinking Bar
Operators Association of Ghana in respect of their public use of any musical
work in their drinking bars. The legal proceedings which culminated in the
ruling being assailed were instituted by one Kwame Afreh who styled himself as
the chairman of the Drinking Bar Operators Association of Ghana.<o:p></o:p>Through the process of an originating summons issued out of the
registry of the High Court, Kumasi on 21 August 1996 the plaintiff-respondent
(hereinafter referred to as the respondent) formulated for the determination of
the court the following questions:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(1) Whether the playing of a recorded musical work obtained by purchase
of a banderole cassette under the “Banderole system” at a beer bar amount to
“performance of work of an author for gain under section 36 of the Copyright
Law, 1985 (PNDCL 1107) and the Copyright Society of Ghana Regulations, 1992 (LI
1527)” having regard to the fact that the retail price of beer is fixed. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(2) If the playing of a recorded music at a beer bar amounts to
performance for gain, whether the defendant Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA)
can arbitrarily levy a beer bar keeper without first establishing in details
the number of times a particular musical work of a particular author had been
played over a fixed period.”<o:p></o:p>The facts of this case show that there is a recognised body known
as the National Drinking Bar Operators Association of Ghana with the respondent
as its national chairman, resident in Kumasi. It is a registered but
non-statutory body and caters for the interests of its members. From the tenor
of the summons, the respondent concedes that members of his association play
musical records in their business of selling to the public drinkables of all
kinds, particularly beer.<o:p></o:p>In the affidavit in support of the summons, however, the
respondent averred that his association was not liable under the Copyright Law,
1985 (PNDCL 1107) and the Copyright Society of Ghana Regulations, 1992 (LI
1527) to pay any royalties to COSGA, the appellant, in respect of any musical
work purchased on the banderole cassette system. The respondent based his
contention on the following grounds:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(a).
that beer bar operators pay
purchase tax on each musical work purchased on the banderole cassette system;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b).
that his fellow members also
pay income tax and local administration fees; and<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(c).