Nollywood actress Ini Edo has lost the ownership rights to the hit Netflix series Shanty Town to filmmaker Chinenye Nworah.
In January 2024, Ini Edo and Minini Empire Productions Limited (MEP) filed a dual intellectual property lawsuit against Chinenye Nworah and her production company, Giant Creative Media Limited (GCM), over trademark rights to the widely known Netflix series Shanty Town.
In the petition, the actress aimed to seek ownership of the trademarks and copyrights associated with ‘Shanty Town.’
However, in a significant legal win for Nworah and GCM, her production company, the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Trademark Registry dismissed Ini Edo’s petition as frivolous and lacking merit.
In a separate ruling, the NCC rejected a petition by Ini Edo and MEP seeking the cancellation of two copyright certificates granted to Nworah for the literary work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number LW10177) and the audiovisual work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number CF1448).
Responding to the victory, Nworah’s lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, stated that “successfully defending these claims underscores the significance of protecting creative works and ensuring fair compensation for artists.”
