Nollywood actress, Ini Edo has lost the ownership rights of the Netflix series ‘Shanty Town’ to filmmaker, Chinenye Nworah.
In January 2024, Ini Edo and Minini Empire Productions Limited (MEP) filed a dual intellectual property petition against Chinenye Nworah and her production company, Giant Creative Media Limited (GCM), over the trademark rights to the popular Netflix series Shanty Town.
In the petition, the actress sought to assert ownership of the trademarks and copyrights associated with Shanty Town.
However, in a significant legal victory for Chinenye Nworah and her production company, Giant Creative Media (GCM), the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Trademark Registry ruled against Ini Edo, dismissing the petition as frivolous and without merit.
In a separate ruling, the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) rejected Ini Edo and Minini Empire Productions’ (MEP) petition to cancel two copyright certificates issued to Chinenye Nworah. The certificates in question were for the literary work Shanty Town (Certificate Number LW10177) and the audiovisual work Shanty Town (Certificate Number CF1448).
Reacting to the victory, Nworah’s lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba said that “the successful defence of these claims highlights the importance of protecting creative works and ensuring fair compensation for artists.”
Shanty Town, a six-part crime thriller that premiered on January 20, 2023, swiftly became a hit. The series boasts an ensemble cast featuring Chidi Mokeme, Ini Edo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Sola Sobowale, Nancy Isime, Shaffy Bello, and Ali Nuhu.
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