The Story⚡
The highly publicized ownership battle over the intellectual property rights of ‘Shanty Town’ has finally been resolved, with a landmark ruling bringing an end to the dispute.
Tell Me More
NCC and Trade Mark Registry dismisses Ini Edo’s petition on the copyright battle of the Netflix series ‘Shanty Town’ in favour of Chinenye Nworah.
On 10th January 2024, Ini Edo and Minnie Empire production filed a petition for trademarks and copyright ownership of SCAR NG/TM/O/2023/121745 and SHANTY TOWN NG/TM/O/2023/97482 against Giant Creative Media (CGM). The petition states that the actress Ini Edo claims to take ownership of trademarks and copyrights of the film Shanty Town.
While many Nigerians love the series and request sequels, Ini Edo stated that Chinenye Nworah should desist from Shanty Town’s second series negotiation.
In response to Ini Edo’s petition, Chinenye Nworah of CGM fired back with a press release in February 2024 insinuating that Chinenye is the sole initiator of the copyright Shanty Town and that the media should cease spreading false claims.
As the legal proceeding continued, the Nigerian Trademark Registry and the Nigerian Copyright Commission have ruled in the favour of Chinenye Nworah, while dismissing Ini Edo’s petition as baseless.
Tangent
Certain laws guide intellectual property in Nigeria, they include:
The Copyright Acts: Chapter C28 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004
The Trademark Acts: Chapter T13 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004
The Patent and Design Acts: Chapter P2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004
Copyright protection protects the original work of artists, literary producers, filmmakers, songwriters etc.
A Trademark consists of marks, names, and symbols of a particular company, institution, non-profit, etc, to help organisations have an identity for their products. Trademarks, therefore, become a valuable asset to the organization as they enhance its reputation and brand.
A Patent is a regulation on the monopoly of an invention. This law regulates the registration, control, and all practices of patents in Nigeria. The patent covers inventions such as machines and computer gadgets.
In Summary
Netflix has given the green light for the development of a second season of the series, which led to the public fight for intellectual property amidst the production companies.
There are concerns that the internal disputes could impact casting decisions and the direction of the show’s storyline. Industry insiders are watching closely to see how the drama unfolds, both on and off-screen especially after this final ruling.
No official release date has been announced for the new season, but fans of the series are eagerly awaiting news on what’s next. Will the behind-the-scenes tensions translate to on-screen drama? Only time will tell
Thanks For Reading
Shockng.com covers the big creators and players in the African film/TV industry and how they do business.
Let’s be friends on Instagram @Shockng
