Ini Edo has been defeated in court in a battle over owning Netflix popular series known as “Shanty Town”.
Recently the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Trademark Registry have supported filmmaker Chinenye Nworah and her company Giant Creative Media Limited (GCM) in which rejecting Edo’s accusations.
Ini Edo and her company Minini Empire Productions Limited (MEP) had filed an application back in January 2024 for the ownership of the trademarks and or copyrights of Shanty Town. However, the authorities did not consider her appeal worthy and rejected it hence disapproving her request.
Additionally, the NCC rejected MEP’s bid to invalidate two copyright certificates previously awarded to Nworah for her work on Shanty Town. This decision solidifies Nworah’s legal rights to the series.
Reacting to the victory, Nworah’s lawyer Olisa Agbakoba stressed the significance of this ruling, as it strengthens the rights of creative stimulus and adequate retribution for entertainers in Nigeria.
These facts give this case a great value as a precedent for the current discussions on the topic of IP rights in this country.
