MTN SUED FOR COPYRIGHT DAMAGES

An Abuja-based musician, Liberty Williams, has sued MTN for allegedly selling a song he composed without his consent.

The suet was filed by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, and the case has been adjourned until Feb. 10. 2020.

In the suit filed before the court, Williams with stage name, “Pupayannis”, joined MTN Chief Executive Officer, Ferdi Moolman; Nowhere to Run Entertainment Ltd. and its Chairman, Emmanuel Abanah, as co-defendants.

The suit filed by Remedium Law Partners (formerly Felix Igelige and Associate Law Partners) on behalf of the plaintiff, asked the court to declare that the sale of the song he composed without his consent by MTN as ring tone constituted infringement on his copyright.

Pupayannis alleged that MTN offered his song “Love is everything” to its millions of subscribers as ring tone and caller tune without his consent.

The plaintiff also said he wrote, composed and financed the production of the song in July 2013, three months before he entered into an agreement with No Where to Run Entertainment Ltd.

He contended that he did not, at any time, surrender the master tape and the right of the song to the entertainment company and its chief executive.

The plaintiff prayed the court to award N200 million as general damages and N100 million as aggravated and punitive damages in his favour.

The case has however been adjourned until Feb. 10 and Feb. 11 on the grounds that counsel to third and fourth defendants said that there was need to regularise the statement of defence and pleaded for time.