A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a N500 million lawsuit filed against popular singer Kingsley Okonkwo, also known as KCee, and two others for alleged copyright infringement regarding the song “Som Too Chukwu.”
Justice Kehinde Ogundare ruled that the claimant, Jude Nnam, failed to establish proof of copyright infringement, and he subsequently awarded a punitive cost of N1 million against him.
The other defendants in the case included Five Star Music Limited and Mr. Emeka Okonkwo, known as E-Money.
In his amended statement of claim, the plaintiff argued that he is one of Nigeria’s most well-known gospel music composers, citing several of his musical works, including “Jesus the Navigator,” “Olisa,” “Abinci Alheri,” and “Surrender Your Heart to Jesus,” among others. He alleged that the defendants infringed on his copyright and ownership rights to the song “Som Too Chukwu,” claiming it was included in KCee’s album “Cultural Praise” without his consent or authorization.
The defendants contended that they had never produced any musical work titled “Som Too Chukwu” or “K’ Anyi Jee N’LO Chukwu,” as alleged by the plaintiff. They argued that the phrases in question are derived from the Holy Bible (the book of Psalms), which the claimant cannot claim copyright over.
In his judgment, Justice Ogundare emphasized that the plaintiff failed to substantiate his case of copyright infringement against the defendants, stating that the phrase in dispute was sourced from the Holy Bible, which the claimant cannot lay claim to.
