A content producer, Femi Edwards has dragged Telecommunication giant, MTN Nigeria Limited to a Federal High Court in Lagos.
In a suit with Number FHC/L/CS/18/2018, Edwards, owner of Comedy+ through his lawyer Chuks Nwachuku, accused MTN of stealing his Comedy+ entertainment brand.
According to the suit, the plaintiff is accusing MTN of illegally using his comedy content without recourse to him and generating whooping revenue from the said copyright infringement. He noted that the teleco generated N112.5 billion from the wrongful use of his comedy brand.
Plaintiff Argument
Edwards, who trades under the name and style of Mayphem International, started a platform that promotes the comedy industry called ‘KomicRELOUDED’ which was a print magazine and widely accepted by the industry he later rebranded to ‘Comedy+’.
He further went into the business of organizing comedy shows and concerts throughout the country, with the brand ‘Comedy+’ and ‘ComedyPlus’. He further took the Comedy+ platform online (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), and more importantly, he established a website www.comedyplus.com.ng which featured among others Comedy skits that visitors to the site could download.
Femi Edwards also claimed that he made Comedy+ a brand among comedians and lovers of Comedy in Nigeria and in that way contributed his bits to building the art of comedy into an industry in the country.
He, however, recalled that in 2015 and 2016 MTN allegedly supported a comedy show ‘LaffXpress with Mc Ayanfe’ Seasons 1 & 2 respectively, which was produced by Femi Edwards under the ‘Comedy+’ brand.
He accused the teleco giant of launching an internet comedy platform named ‘Comedy+’ in March, 2017.
In his words:
“They were promptly written by my lawyers, warning them of the infringement of my intellectual property, but MTN remained adamant hoping to bluff its way through.”
He accused MTN of passing off their services as his own services through the adoption of the brand name ‘Comedy+’ with which he and his services have been associated with since 2009.
MTN’s Defense
The telecommunication giant filed a defense to the suit where it alleges that its services are different from those of Femi Edwards. It, however, admits to making comedy skits and materials available to millions of its subscribers through the use of the brand name ‘Comedy+’.
Femi Edwards is seeking an order restraining MTN or its agents from producing, promoting or marketing under Comedy+, any comedy related to or other entertainment shows or content not produced, promoted or marketed by the plaintiff or with his collaboration.
The MTN comedy plus is a service that enables MTN subscribers to have access to and watch funny comedy videos and skit on their phone at a go.
MTN has shown many times they don’t care about other people’s rights. They act with lots of impunity. Even when you repeatedly report them to the regulatory bodies, they remain adamant. I would not be surprised if this case is true. They need to be shown how not to trample on people’s rights to make money at all cost.
My case with them is yet to be resolved after a month, even with all the channels i have employed to reach out.