award-winning artiste, Paul Play
Dairo, has dragged a
telecommunications service
provider, Etisalat, before a Federal
High Court in Lagos for allegedly
infringing on his copyright.
The ‘Angel of My Life’ crooner
asked Justice C.J. Aneke to compel
Etisalat to pay him N200m for
making use of his 2009 hit-track,
“Mosorire” without having
obtained his authorisation. His
grouse with the defendants
stemmed from the alleged use of
the track “Mosorire” in the
defendant’s popular television
reality show, tagged, “Nigerian
Idol” for two consecutive years
without paying him.
Joined with Etisalat in the suit
marked FHC/CS/581/2014 is one
Optima Media Group. Paul Play, in
the affidavit filed in support of his
suit and deposed to by himself,
averred that, “I am the copyright
owner of the work named and
tagged “Mosorire”, contained in my
repertoire, exclusively for the
jurisdiction of Nigeria and the
authority or permission to exploit
such work can only be obtained
from me.
“However, the defendants being an
organiser of a television reality
show tagged, “Nigerian Idol” caused
the use, adaptation and deployment
of my said work titled, “Mosorire”
on the said show without my
consent, and which was broadcast
to several millions of television
viewers throughout the Federal
Republic of Nigeria and the rest of
Africa for 2012 and 2013 editions.”
The artiste said the defendants
particularly infringed on his
copyright when they allowed one of
the contestants on the show to
reproduce and perform his song in
the glare of the whole nation and
beyond. Paul Play averred that as a
singer and composer, he was
entitled to an annual fee of N100m
on the said track, as commensurate
with his effort in putting the work
together. He however averred that
having made use of his work
without obtaining permission from
him, the defendants had caused
him loss of income while “they have
made gains and improved on their
own brand image.”
The artiste therefore sought a
declaration of the court “that the
act of adaptation, deployment,
public performance and
exploitation of his musical work
titled “Mosorire” by the defendants
without the plaintiff’s prior
consent, authorisation or
permission constitutes an
infringement of the plaintiff’s
copyright, as guaranteed by the
Copyright Act, Cap C28, Laws of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004
and sections 6 (6) (b) and 44 of the
1999 Constitution.”
Source:- Punch
