Nigerian Court of Appeal upholds refusal of COSON injunction

The Court of Appeal in Lagos has dismissed an interlocutory appeal brought by the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) against the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), affirming the Federal High Court’s refusal to restrain the Commission from taking regulatory action against COSON. The judgment, delivered on 9 July 2026, also awarded costs of ₦200,000 against COSON.

The Court held that COSON’s operating approval had been suspended in 2018 and had subsequently expired in May 2019, before the proceedings were instituted. As a result, there was no subsisting approval that could be preserved by an interlocutory injunction. The decision reinforces the importance of maintaining valid regulatory approval for collective management organisations and illustrates the limits of interim relief where the underlying regulatory status has already lapsed.