Intellectual Properties: Why We Picketed Raddison Blu, By AVRS

The Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS) has explained why it led several Nollywood stars to picket Raddison Blu in Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

Several Nollywood stars and producers joined Mahmood Alli-Balogun to disrupt business activities at Raddison Blu in the early hours of Tuesday over claims the outfit failed to remit payments for intellectual properties.

Speaking at the protest, Alli-Balogun said the society resorted to picketing the hospitality outfit after it failed to remit payments.

The foremost filmmaker stressed efforts to reach an agreement for the hospitality outfit to make payments fell on deaf ears, leaving the society with no option than to picket it.

A visibly angry Jide Kosoko lamented the refusal of the hospitality outfit to remit payment after using the works of the members of the society.

Kosoko said it was wrong for the hospitality outfit to make money off the creative’ sweat without remitting what is due to the creatives.

“I am here for my people, we work hard and Raddison Blu and others don’t give us anything free yet they don’t want to remit what is due to us. I won’t condone such and that is why we are here to exhibit our civic rights as creatives and practitioners,” he said.

Other movie practitioners who rued the activities of the hospitality outfit included Sunny McDon, Ejike Asiegbu.

Also at the picketing/ protest were Sunny McDon, Ejike Asiegbu, Adewale Elesho, Emeka Ossai, Grace Ama, Grace Amah, Charles Inojie and others.

Efforts to speak with staff of the Raddison Blu hotel proved abortive as they declined speaking on the matter.

Minutes after the picketing exercise began, some management staff of the hospitality outfit reached out to the team after which it promised to resolve the issue.

Mahmood Alli-Balogun said the AVRS team will be back if the management of Raddison Blu reneged on their promise.