In a significant policy shift aimed at strengthening copyright governance in Nigeria, the Nigerian Copyright Commission issued the Collective Management Regulations, 2025 (CMR) under the authority of the Copyright Act, 2022. These new regulations repeal and replace the Copyright (Collective Management Organisation) Regulations, 2007, which had governed the operations of Collective Management Organizations (CMO) for nearly two decades.
The new regulations introduce defined objectives, codify the functions of CMOs, strengthen CMO governance framework, enhance member rights and responsibilities, and equip the Nigerian Copyright Commission with robust oversight responsibilities.
Through this reform, Nigeria aims to ensure greater accountability in royalty collection and distribution and empower right holders to exercise more control over their works. We have analysed some of the key provisions in the CMR below.
