Court denies N500m copyright violations lawsuit against singer, Kcee, and E-Money

• The N500 million copyright infringement lawsuit filed against musician Kcee, businessman E-Money, and his record label Five Star Music Limited has been turned down.

• A federal high court in Lagos dismissed the lawsuit.

The N500 million copyright infringement lawsuit filed against musician Kcee, businessman E-Money, and his recordFive Star Music Limited has been turned down.

A federal high court in Lagos dismissed the lawsuit.

The presiding judge, Kehinde Ogundare, issued the verdict on Monday, stating that Jude Nnam, the plaintiff, failed to submit reliable evidence to establish the copyright infringement claim.

Nnam, a Nigerian composer, said Kcee surreptitiously included his songs ‘Som Too Chukwu’, ‘Otito Diri Chineke’, and ‘K’ Anyi Jee N’ Ulo Chukwu’ in his album.

Nnam alleged that Kcee included his musical creations on ‘Cultural Praise Vol. 1’ without his permission.

The composer requested a written or oral certification that the three defendants collectively violated his copyright by making and promoting it without his authorization.

He further requested that the defendants pay all royalties on the music and cease any infringement.

Nnam also demanded a damage fee of N500 million from the defendants, as well as N5 million in costs of litigation.

However, KCee and E-Money denied all of the plaintiff’s claims. They also called Nnam’s allegations “frivolous” and an attempt to extort them.

In addition to dismissing the complaint, Ogundare awarded Nnam N1 million in punitive costs.

The copyright infringement litigation has been continuing since 2021.