A federal high court in Lagos has dismissed a N500 million copyright infringement lawsuit against singer Kcee, businessman E-Money, and his record label, Five Star Music Limited.
The ruling was made on Monday by Judge Kehinde Ogundare, who stated that the plaintiff, Jude Nnam, failed to present credible evidence to support his claims of copyright infringement.
Nnam, a Nigerian composer, alleged that Kcee had secretly incorporated his songs, including “Som Too Chukwu,” “Otito Diri Chineke,” and “K’ Anyi Jee N’ Ulo Chukwu,” into Kcee’s album without his consent. He claimed that Kcee included his work in “Cultural Praise Vol. 1.”
The composer sought both a written or oral declaration of copyright infringement against the three defendants for producing and marketing the songs without permission. Additionally, he requested that they pay all royalties from the tracks and cease any further infringement. Nnam also demanded N500 million in damages and N5 million for legal costs.
Kcee and E-Money denied all allegations, labeling Nnam’s claims as “frivolous” and an attempt to extort money from them.
Following the dismissal of the lawsuit, Judge Ogundare ordered Nnam to pay a punitive cost of N1 million. The case has been ongoing since 2021.
