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After 30yrs: Sunny Ade gets justice on copyright
In from Ahmed Boulor . . .
Juju music legend, King Sunny Ade, has been awarded N500 million for alleged copyright infringement by the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday.
The judgment comes after 30 years of battling in court with African Songs and its subsidiary, Take Your Choice Stores for infringing on the works of the veteran Juju maestro.
The court awarded the sum against the defendants for infringing on his works, with additional N3million for prosecuting the suit.
According to a statement of claim filed before the court by a Lagos lawyer Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, SAN, in 1975, a contract dispute arose between King Suny Ade and the two companies.
Read also: Yemi Alade denies suing UK company
During the judgment, the court ordered the companies to return the master tapes of the original musical works produced under the label of the two companies by Sunny Ade, but before the master tape could be returned the chairman Chief Executive Office of the two companies Chief Bolarinwa Abioro died.
And in a bid to retrieve the master tapes, Sunny Ade in 1997 consequently dragged the two companies before a federal high court in Lagos.
The claims against other defendants were struck out on the ground that not enough evidence were adduced against them and three decades after he instituted the suit against the two companies, King Sunny Ade now has cause to smile as justice has been duly served.
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