The High Court of Justice refused an application for interim relief brought by the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organization for Music Rights (ECCO) Inc., on June 5^th 2025.

ECCO “sought to suspend the enforcement of the 2024, Copyright (Collective Management Organisations) Regulations”, according to a press release from the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis.

The Regulations, enacted under the Copyright Act No. 14 of 2024, and brought into force in December 2024, established a regulatory framework for Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) operating in St. Kitts and Nevis. The framework ensures that all CMOs are licensed and regulated in the interest of promoting transparency, accountability, and fairness for event promoters and creatives.

The Court’s refusal of the injunction effectively affirms the Government’s firm stance that it has right to implement a licensing regime to protect local rights holders and the general public from unregulated and potentially exploitative practices. The substantive legal arguments raised in ECCO’s claim challenging aspects of the Regulations will be determined after trial.

ECCO was represented by Victor Dane Hamilton and the Government by the Solicitor General and Crown Counsel II Sasha Lloyd.