Nollywood actress Ini Edo loses ‘Shanty town’ ownership legal battle to Chinenye Nworah

Ini Edo, a popular Nollywood actress, lost to Chinenye Nworah over the ownership of the Netflix original ‘Shanty Town.’

In a huge legal victory for the director and her production company, GCM Giant Creative Media Limited, the Nigerian Trademark Registry and the Nigerian Copyright Commission ruled against Ini Edo.

This comes after a series of legal fights between Ini Edo and Minnie Empire Productions Limited (MEP), who sought to claim ownership of the trademarks and copyrights linked with ‘Shanty Town.’

On January 10, 2024, the Trademark Registry denied Ini Edo and MEP’s petition for the trademarks ‘Scar’ NG/TM/O/2023/121745 and ‘Shanty Town’ NG/TM/O/2023/97482, calling the petition frivolous and without substance and confirming Nworah’s exclusive ownership of these trademarks.

In a separate ruling issued on July 24, 2024, the NCC denied a petition by Ini Edo and MEP for the cancellation of two copyright certificates issued to Chinenye Nworah for the literary work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number LW10177) and the audiovisual work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number CF1448). The NCC found no legal grounds to invalidate the certificates and confirmed their validity, affirming Mrs Nworah’s legitimate ownership of these copyrights.

The legal team at Olisa Agbakoba Legal was instrumental in achieving these results for Chinenye Nworah and GCM Giant Creative Media Limited.

This case highlights OAL’s dedication to defending the rights of creative individuals and businesses in the face of intellectual property disputes.

The determination of the Trademark Registry and the decision of the NCC strengthen Mrs Chinenye Nworah’s ownership of intellectual property in respect to the Netflix series “Shanty Town”.The successful defense of these claims emphasizes the necessity of safeguarding creative works and providing appropriate recompense to artists.