By Henry Ojelu
AN Abuja based music entrepreneur, Mr Faruk Adamu, has accused South Africa retail outlet, Shoprite, of copyright infringement.
He also accused the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, of alleged failure to investigate and compel the management of Shoprite to pay him his 60 per cent rights to a jingle he made for the company.
Mr. Adamu’s claims were contained in a petition written to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) titled “Petition against the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) For failure to reinstitute criminal charges against Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (SHOPRITE) for copyright infringement/a request to investigate an alleged fake contract of employment presented by Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (SHOPRITE)”.
Adamu said he had agreed with an artist, Friday Emeh, also known as G-Kase, who was under his management to compose a jingle for Shoprite to boost the retail outlet sales.
But according to him, South Africa owned retail store was making use of the said jingle without fulfilling their financial rights.
He observed that the inaction of the NCC in failing to make seizure of the said jingle from Shoprite since it was reported prompted the continuous use of his work to date.
Adamu claimed that he had approached the NCC to investigate the matter but an agreement was reached by both parties to settle the matter out of court because he had the video proof of the infringement.
He noted that the management of Shoprite refused to honour the out of court agreement which made the matter to be taken to the court.
He, however, said the court delivered a no-case submission due to the statement given by the NCC that contradicted his artiste’s written statements.
Adamu said to further its illegality, Shoprite had presented his artist with a fake contract of employment, which has also been adopted by NCC stating that the Jingle in question is a property of Shoprite.
“The Nigerian Copyright Commission adopted the contract of employment dated 31 January 2013 submitted by Shoprite that was alleged by G Kase to be a fake letter of employment and even after it was made known to the NCC by G Kase that he wasn’t employed under the stated contract of employment submitted by Shoprite.”
“I want to use this medium to demand an investigation into the alleged fake contract of employment presented to the Nigerian Copyright Commission and the court by Retail Supermarket Nigeria Limited (Shoprite)”, he stated.
