COTT’s CEO chairs regional copyright group

Attorney Patt Christopher, CEO of the Copyright Music Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT), was elected Chairman of the Association of Caribbean Copyright States (ACCS) Management Committee. The election was held during meetings from March 21- 23, including the 9th Annual General Meeting of the ACCS, held at COTT’s offices in Port-of-Spain.

The overseas delegation included members from the Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers (JACAP), Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights (ECCO) and Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers of Barbados (COSCAP). Also attending were the American Society for Composers Authors and Producers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Inc.

(BMI), Performing Rights Society of the UK (PRS for Music) and the global body that works towards the increased recognition and protection of creators’ rights, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).

Meetings on matters of common interest were also held with local stakeholders. Christopher said as the first copyright society in the Caribbean, COTT was pleased to host meetings among the younger societies in the region, as well as meetings with international affiliates. She noted that all faced a changing global market with its many financial constraints and it was COTT’s hope that the discussions enabled societies to better cope with the regional and international challenges.