Rights ownership, catalog licensing and splits.

The single most misunderstood concept in the Nigerian creative industry is the fundamental distinction between the composition copyright (the lyrics, melody and arrangement created by songwriters and beatmakers) and the sound recording copyright (the master recording fixed in the studio). Under the Nigerian Copyright Act 2022, these are two entirely separate bundles of legal rights that can be owned, licensed, assigned and monetised independently.

When an Afrobeats track streams on Spotify or Apple Music, royalties are generated in two separate streams. The sound recording earns digital performance and master streaming royalties (typically paid to the record label or DIY distributor). Simultaneously, the composition earns mechanical royalties and public performance royalties (collected by Performing Rights Organisations such as COSON and MCSN in Nigeria, or PRS, BMI and ASCAP internationally).

If an artist or producer fails to execute written split sheets at the conclusion of a studio session, the law presumes co-authorship with undefined percentages, leading to frozen DSP streaming revenues as soon as an ownership dispute is reported. Our entertainment team institutes systematic split-sheet protocols and publisher administration setups to guarantee every contributor is paid accurately.

Record labels often present recording contracts as life-changing partnerships backed by substantial upfront advances. However, under the hood of standard recording agreements, advances are not gifts—they are interest-free loans recoupable 100% against the artist’s royalty share (not the label’s gross receipts). Furthermore, recording costs, music video budgets, independent marketing and tour support are frequently added to the artist’s recoupable balance.

In a traditional deal, the record label demands 100% assignment of master recordings in perpetuity across the universe, while offering the artist a 15% to 25% royalty rate after full recoupment. In a modern "360 Deal", the label additionally demands 20% to 50% of the artist’s live touring, private performance fees, corporate sponsorships, acting roles and merchandise—even if the label played zero role in securing those opportunities.

We negotiate fiercely on behalf of talent: replacing perpetual master assignments with fixed-term licences (e.g., 5 to 7 years post-release), carving out independent brand deals and live performance fees from label commission, requiring transparent semi-annual royalty accountings with comprehensive audit rights, and defining explicit release commitment remedies if the label shelves an album.

Nollywood has evolved from direct-to-DVD distribution into a high-budget theatrical and global streaming power. However, international acquisitions by platforms like Netflix, Prime Video and international theatrical distributors require institutional legal due diligence. The foundation of any film acquisition is the Chain of Title—the unbroken documentary paper trail proving the producer owns every creative component of the motion picture.

If your screenwriter adapted a real-life news event, did they secure life-story rights? If your screenwriter was inspired by a published book or article, is there an executed Option and Literary Purchase Agreement? If an actor appears in a leading role, did they sign an unconditional cast agreement waiving injunctive relief in the event of a contractual disagreement? Without these agreements, a disgruntled collaborator can obtain an ex-parte court injunction halting your film’s theatrical premiere or streaming rollout.

We serve as Production Legal Counsel across pre-production, principal photography and post-production—drafting crew agreements, location agreements, music sync licences, visual artist clearances and distribution agreements, compiling a certified Chain-of-Title Binder ready for platform delivery.

Music producers and beatmakers are the sonic architects of modern African music, yet historically they have suffered from informal credit and deferred compensation. A producer may receive a one-off studio fee of ₦500,000 or $2,000 for a beat, only to watch the song generate tens of millions of streams globally without receiving publishing royalties or master points.

We represent premier producers and sound engineers—structuring producer agreements that secure three critical components of compensation: (1) an upfront production advance/fee; (2) producer master points (typically 3% to 5% of the suggested retail price / PPD or 20% to 25% of the artist’s net master receipts); and (3) a 50% share of the musical composition’s publishing copyright as co-author of the musical work.

We also draft clear beat-licensing terms for producer websites—distinguishing non-exclusive lease licences (with stream and radio broadcast caps) from exclusive buyout transfers, ensuring that producers retain mechanical and performance collection rights regardless of who buys the track.

For tier-one African talent, brand endorsements from telecommunications conglomerates, banks, fintechs, FMCG giants, beverage brands and luxury fashion houses represent a major portion of annual revenue. Yet standard brand endorsement agreements drafted by corporate advertising agencies are often heavily one-sided—demanding indefinite exclusivity across entire economic sectors, unlimited usage of the talent’s name, image and likeness (NIL) across unpaid digital ads, and severe moral conduct termination penalties without reciprocal protections.

We review and negotiate commercial talent agreements: strictly defining the category of exclusivity (e.g., carbonated soft drinks rather than all beverages), capping the number of required social media posts, public appearances and shoot days, requiring pre-approval over all published marketing collateral, and limiting usage to defined territories and timeframes.

Concurrently, we build trademark portfolios protecting the artist’s stage name, logos, record label brand and iconic catchphrases at the Nigerian Trademarks Registry and internationally—preventing counterfeit merchandise, unauthorized endorsements and squatter domain registrations.