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| Ini Edo |
The Nigerian Trademark Registry (NTR) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), responsible for trademarks and copyright regulation, have dismissed actress Ini Edo’s petition over the ownership of the hit Netflix series ‘Shanty Town,’ ruling in favor of Chichi Nworah.
Actress Ini Edo and filmmaker Chinenye Nworah have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ownership rights of the series, which was released in January 2023.
According to LEADERSHIP Sunday, the dispute began when Ini Edo and her production company, Minini Empire Productions Limited (MEP), sought ownership of the trademarks “Shanty Town” and “Scar,” as well as the copyrights associated with the series.
The Trademark Registry rejected the petition filed by Ini Edo and MEP regarding the trademarks ‘SCAR’ (NG/TM/O/2023/121745) and ‘SHANTY TOWN’ (NG/TM/O/2023/97482) on January 10, 2024, declaring the petition baseless and without merit, thus granting sole ownership of the trademarks to Ms. Nworah.
Both the NCC and NTR, in separate rulings delivered on July 24, 2024, dismissed the petition filed by Ini Edo and MEP concerning the cancellation of two copyright certificates issued to Chinenye Nworah for the literary work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number LW10177) and the audiovisual work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number CF1448).
The ruling stated, “The NCC found no legal grounds for the cancellation and upheld the validity of the certificates, confirming Mrs. Nworah’s rightful ownership of these copyrights.”
“This case demonstrates OAL’s commitment to protecting the rights of creative individuals and companies in the face of intellectual property disputes,” noted the Olisa Agbakoba Legal team.
