Nigerian singer Ewa Cole has filed a lawsuit against music executive JJC Skillz and director Funke Akindele for alleged copyright infringement of her songs in the movie “She Must Be Obeyed.” In the lawsuit submitted to the Federal High Court of Lagos, Ewa Cole claims ownership of the rights to “Opoor” and “Bhad Garl,” two songs she alleges were sampled in the movie without her permission.
The defendants in the lawsuit include Tony Ugiagbe (Topage), Waje, Veeiye, Amazon Web Services Nigeria Ltd. (BoomPlay), Amazon Web Services Inc., and Apple Inc. Ewa Cole alleges that after producing the songs for the movie, she was later informed that they were rejected. However, she claims that Waje and Veeiye then copied the songs without giving her credit or obtaining her permission.
In the lawsuit, Ewa Cole is seeking N300 million in damages for labor infringement and requests a permanent injunction to prevent the defendants from copyrighting, performing, or redistributing her musical compositions. Additionally, she seeks a 45 percent cut of all earnings from the use, performance, duplication, and sale of the two songs.
The case highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in the entertainment industry and raises questions about proper attribution and compensation for artists whose work is used in films and other productions. The court will now consider the merits of Ewa Cole’s claims and the requested remedies.
