Supporting the strengthening of Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) in Lesotho
On 6 and 7 September 2022, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) together with the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation Project in Africa (AfrIPI) organised training for staff members of the Lesotho Copyright Society of Authors and Artists (LESCOSAA). It took place at the Avani Lesotho Hotel and Casino in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho. This training is part of AfrIPI's activity 'Support for the Setup and Strengthening of Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) in ARIPO and OAPI Member States’.
The activity was officially inaugurated by the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture, Ms Moliehi Moejane. She conveyed the appreciation of the Kingdom of Lesotho (an ARIPO Member State) for receiving support to strengthen the CMO initiated by AfrIPI, ARIPO and LESCOSAA.
The ministries that oversee the work of LESCOSAA are the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture. Representatives of these were also in attendance. These governmental bodies gained insight into the best copyright practices concerning the management and administration of Copyright and Related Rights from ARIPO and its Member States. Furthermore, they were encouraged to join forces to effectively implement their operations to benefit the creative sector and the country’s economic development.
The training event was a great opportunity to move towards a collective management of the creative sector of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
CMOs unlock economic value and improve efficiency in two main ways. Firstly, they enable copyright owners to administer their rights and costs efficiently and effectively to obtain a fair return for their work. Secondly, they provide a service to rights users by facilitating ready access to, and licensing of, copyright works easily and cheaply.
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