Court Of Appeal Upholds Nigerian Copyright Commission’s Position In COSON Licence Dispute, Dismisses Injunction Appeal

The appellate court held that the lower court was right because the act sought to be restrained had already been completed.

The Court of Appeal in Lagos has dismissed an appeal filed by the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) challenging the refusal of the Federal High Court to grant an interlocutory injunction restraining the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) from interfering with its operations.

The appellate court held that the lower court was right because the act sought to be restrained had already been completed.

In a judgment delivered on July 9, 2026, Justice Polycarp Terna Kwahar, with Justices Folasade Ayodeji Ojo and Muslim S. Hassan concurring, affirmed the December 1, 2021 ruling of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/425/2020.

The dispute arose from COSON's application for an interlocutory injunction seeking to restrain the NCC from revoking its operating licence or interfering with its management, finances, bank accounts, operations and enforcement of members' rights pending the determination of its substantive suit.