Plaintiff: Paul Play
Defendants: Optima Media Group (Producers & Executive Directors of Nigerian Idol)
Claim: Copyright Infringement of the song Mosorire on the Nigerian Idol show on air and You Tube
Court: Federal High Court Lagos (FHC/L/CS/581/2014)
Damages sought: 200Million Naira
“Paul Play Dairo, son of legendary Juju maestro I.K. Dairo has slammed Etisalat and Optima Media Group with a N200million lawsuit for the unauthorized use and broadcasting of his copyright work, “Mosorire”.
According to reports from Radar.NG, one of Nigeria’s biggest Reality TV show, ‘Nigerian Idol’, which is funded and staged by Etisalat and Optima Media Group Limited respectively, might be forced by a law court to cough out a sum of N200m (Two Hundred Million Naira) for the copyright infringement and unauthorized usage of “Mosorire” – a copyright protected work by Paul I.K. Dairo popularly known as Paul Play.The artiste, Paul Play is suing Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Ltd. (EMTS) popularly known as ETISALAT for the unauthorised usage of his works which were registered with Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) when the artiste was still a member.
In year 2008, Paul Play terminated his contract with MCSN and subsequently joined BROADCAST MUSIC INCORPORATION (BMI) with membership number CAE/IP: 295878298. Etisalat and Optima group being the promoter and organizer of the show (Nigerian Idol) respectively caused the use, adaptation and redeployment of Paul Play’s work without his consent and aired it to millions of subscribers within and outside the shores of Nigeria for their 2012 and 2013 editions. . .” RADAR NG.
AML artists, listen in on my discussion on Nigerian copyright law from AML podcast show Episode 13:
