A Federal High Court sitting at ikoyi, Lagos State, has adjourned till October 3, 2016, for hearing a $2 million USD copyright infringement suit instituted against Multichoice Nigeria Limited by a Nigerian film producer Mr. Victor Denila and his company, Soul Plane Multimedia Limited.
Joined as co -defendants in the suit are, Electronic Media Network Limited, (M-NET), Multichoice South Africa Group, and their parent holding company, NASPERS.
The plaintiffs in an amended statement of claim filed before Justice Oluremi Omowumi Oguntoyinbo, by the law firm of Ilalokhoin Uwa and company, averred that he negotiated and acquired the rights/license from Merit International over eight feature length films sometimes between January 2011 and March 13 2011, and the original copyright owner of Jokotola, Atitebi, Ola,Ebamidupe, Iku, Loni Oro Midayo, Ofa Ikoko, Ore Ode, Horo Kan Ogunfimeji 1& 2, and signed agreement with to be exclusive licence to the seven feature length films.
The plaintiffs, however averred that the defendant illegally listed and aired the following titles Ogundimeji 1&2, Horo kan, Ebamidupe, and Atitebi Ola on the DSTV African Magic's Yoruba channel, thus exploiting their commercial values and making them commercially valueless as the broadcast were illegally done without their authority and permission.
The plaintiffs further averred that in his past dealing with the defendants that broadcast license for contents acquire was in the average of $10,000 to $15,000 USD per title, and therefore they have thus been denied substantial income from the said films as a result of the defendants airing them on its African Magic Yoruba channel on DSTV illegally without his consent while the Defendants made huge profit.
Consequently, the plaintiffs claims against the defendants jointly and severally are as follows, an order restraining the defendants from further infringing the copyright and breaching the proprietary right of the plaintiffs to films subject matter of this suit.
They also urged the court to award the sum of $2, million US Dollar on the basis of special and exemplary damages for breach of copyright and proprietary interest of the plaintiffs in the films and loss of revenue occasioned by the said breach.
And The cost of instituting this legal action.
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