Ini Edo Loses Legal Battle for ‘Shanty Town’ Rights to Filmmaker Chinenye Nworah
Nollywood star Ini Edo has lost a legal battle over the ownership rights of the popular Netflix series “Shanty Town” to filmmaker Chinenye Nworah. The actress, alongside her production company Minini Empire Productions Limited (MEP), had filed a petition in January 2024 against Nworah and her production company, Giant Creative Media Limited (GCM), seeking to claim trademarks and copyrights associated with the series.
In a significant ruling, both the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Trademark Registry dismissed Ini Edo’s petition, labelling it as frivolous and lacking in merit. The NCC further denied her request to cancel two copyright certificates issued to Nworah for the literary and audiovisual works of “Shanty Town.”
Reacting to the legal victory, Nworah’s lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, emphasized the importance of protecting creative works and ensuring that artists receive fair compensation for their contributions. “The successful defence of these claims highlights the critical need to uphold intellectual property rights in the creative industry,” Agbakoba stated.
