Who are COTT’s Members?

COTT has over 1400 local members comprising:-

• Songwriters
• Music Composers
• Authors of lyrics or words that have been set to music
• Music Publishers
• Successors (beneficiaries of deceased members)

What are the benefits of becoming a member?

• Efficient payment of royalties at least 4 times per year for the public performance, broadcast, communication and recording of your music in Trinidad & Tobago and overseas.
• Detailed statements of royalties paid
• Royalties credited to a designated bank account
• Registration of works and agreements
• Advice and consultation on copyright protection
• Referral to legal services
• Participation in a Group Life Insurance Plan
• An exclusive discount card
• COTT investigates the commission of criminal offences against members’ copyrights through its Anti-Piracy unit, working closely with the police and customs.
• Attendance at copyright and songwriting seminars and workshops hosted by COTT
• Receipt of COTT’s quarterly newsletter

What are the criteria to join?

• Songwriters, composers and lyricists must have a work that has been broadcast, performed live, played in public or recorded.
• Publishers must have contracts covering at least 5 works.

Is there a joining fee?

• Songwriters, composers and lyricists are required to pay a one-off fee of $100.
• Publishers are required to pay a one-off fee of $500.
• There is no annual membership fee.

How Do I Become a Member?

For further information on becoming a member, or obtaining a membership application form, contact:
Email: membership@cott.org.tt
Call: 624-COTT; 657-COTT, 635-COTT

MUSIC & COPYRIGHT

What is Copyright?

Copyright is a property right which exists in literary and artistic works (e.g. musical compositions and lyrics). Trinidad and Tobago copyright law is governed by the Copyright Act No. 8 of 1997.

What rights does a Copyright Owner Have?

The Act gives a copyright owner the exclusive right to do, prohibit and authorise others to do certain acts in Trinidad and Tobago? These certain acts are:
Reproduction

When Does Copyright Start?

Copyright in a musical work arises automatically as soon as it is created. In Trinidad and Tobago there is no necessity for the work to be recorded or written.

How is Copyright Protected?

No official registration is necessary to secure copyright in a work.
Under T&T law both musical and literary works are automatically protected from the time they are created. Consequently, in the event of a dispute over authorship, ownership or originality, there is no standard method of proving that one work was in existence before another.

There are however, suggested ways to help prove that the work was created on a specific date:

• Send a copy of the work to yourself by registered mail leaving the envelope unopened and stored in a safe place together with the receipt from the post office.
• Deposit a copy in a safety deposit box at a bank.
• Deposit a copy with an Attorney-at-law. Legal fees are likely to be incurred for this service.

The registration of a title of a work with COTT (as is required of members) does not create copyright in the notified work.

How Long Does Copyright Last in T&T?

Copyright in original works generally lasts for a period ending 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies.

How are royalties earned from copyright?

A copyright owner can exploit his/her copyright in the following ways:

• Transfer legal ownership - This is the transfer of the right to another party in return for payment or other valuable consideration, known as an “assignment”. The copyright owner may assign all or some of the rights in a work, or alternatively, the transfer could be for a limited period of time. During the period of assignment only the person who has been assigned those rights may exercise them.
• Issue licences – Permission to use the work may be granted in return for payment with the advantage that many people can be licensed at the same time. A licence may be granted for a particular duration or right.