Monday Igbinidu, the ace highlife singer from Edo, has taken legal action against Shallipopi over alleged copyright infringement.
The street-pop sensation is enmeshed in a copyright infringement tussle over his recently released song titled ‘Obapluto’.
In the letter of notice addressed to Shallipopi by Igbinidu’s lawyers, the ace musician is accusing the fast-rising singer of sampling his 1996 song ‘Ovonramwen’.
According to the letter, Shallipopi produced the song without “license, authorisation, permission or lawful excuse” from Igbinidu.
It alleged that the singer infringed on Igbinidu’s “rights by superimposing, displaying, recording, broadcasting, copying (pirating)” the song.
“It is our brief that our client, a veteran musical artist of Benin extraction and the original owner/right holder credited with the intellectual property of all that musical work known and called “Ovonramwen n’ Ogbaisi”, a song which was produced and released between the year 1996 to 1997 and protected under the Nigerian Copy Right Act and other allied foreign domesticated instruments and treaties,” the letter reads in part.
“Our brief reveal sir, that recently without the license, authorisation, permission or lawful excuse, you knowingly caused yourself to infringe on our client’s right over the said musical work by superimposing, displaying, recording, broadcasting, copying (pirating), distinguishing, performing, reproducing, appropriating and making derivation of the said musical work for economic, social and psychological gains, an act which constitutes both a civil breach of our client’s copyright to the said musical work and also a criminal infraction under the Nigerian Copy Right Act 2004.”
In the letter, the ace singer demanded a 70% to 30% sharing formula of the song’s proceeds from Shallipopi.
Listen to Shallipopi’s song below:
He also requested that Shallipopi pays the sum of “N200 million as damages to our client”.
Confirming the letter to TheCable Lifestyle on Monday, Chris Otasowie, principal counsel to Igbinidu, said Shallipopi’s lawyer reached out to him for a family settlement.
“Told my client to take the matter away from the media. Their lawyers have also reached me. We cannot be deliberating on a matter and it is in the social sphere,” he said.
“The family would appreciate it if we try as much as possible to take the matter away from the media space. The letter is from our office. Matters with legal colouration like this are not done on social media.”
Listen to Igbinidu’s song below:
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