The Nigerian Trademark Registry (NTR) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) have recently ruled in favor of filmmaker Chinenye Nworah in a legal dispute over the ownership rights of the popular Netflix series Shanty Town. The dispute involved actress Ini Edo, who was also listed as an executive producer on the series, which was released in January 2023.
The conflict arose as the second season of the series was about to be released, sparking significant attention due to the show's popularity. Ini Edo had claimed ownership rights over Shanty Town, but the NTR and NCC ruled against her, confirming that Chinenye Nworah and her company, Giant Creative Media Limited (GCM), hold the trademarks and copyrights for the series.
Nworah's legal representation, Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), announced this decision on Thursday, reinforcing Nworah's ownership and control over the intellectual property associated with Shanty Town. This ruling allows Nworah to continue her work on the series without further legal obstacles regarding its ownership.
The statement highlighted that both agencies dismissed Ini Edo’s petitions as baseless and and without merit.
Specifically, the NTR ruled that trademarks for ‘Shanty Town’ and ‘Scar’ belong to Giant Creative Media, rejecting Ini Edo’s petition.
The NCC also rejected Edo’s attempt to revoke Nworah’s copyright certificates for the literary and audiovisual works related to ‘Shanty Town.’
The statement partly read: “In a significant legal victory for filmmaker Chinenye Nworah and her production company GCM Giant Creative Media Limited, both the Nigerian Trademark Registry and the Nigerian Copyright Commission have ruled in their favour.
“This follows a series of legal battles initiated by Ms Iniobong Edo Ekim (Ini Edo) and Minnie Empire Productions Limited (MEP), who attempted to claim ownership of the trademarks and copyrights associated with ‘Shanty Town’.
Trademark Dispute: ‘Shanty Town’ and ‘Scar’ belong to Giant Creative Media. The Trademark Registry rejected a petition filed by Ini Edo and MEP regarding trademarks ‘Scar’ NG/TM/O/2023/121745 and ‘Shanty Town’ NG/TM/O/2023/97482 on 10 January 2024, declaring the petition baseless and without merit and confirming Mrs Nworah’s exclusive ownership of these trademarks.”
Ms Nworah’s legal team stated that the NCC rejected Edo and MEP’s petition to revoke the copyright certificates for her client’s literary and audiovisual works related to ‘Shanty Town’.
“In a separate ruling delivered on July 24, 2024, the NCC dismissed a petition by Ini Edo and MEP concerning 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),” it reads.
The statement added that the NCC found no legal grounds for the cancellation and upheld the validity of the certificates, confirming Mrs Nworah’s rightful ownership of these copyrights.
OAL emphasized that these rulings reinforce the importance of protecting creative works and ensuring fair compensation for artists.
They stated that this case demonstrates their commitment to defending the rights of creative individuals and businesses in intellectual property disputes.
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