Ini Edo loses legal battle for ownership of popular movie 'Shanty Town'

Nollywood actress, Ini Edo, has lost the ownership rights to the popular Netflix movie ‘Shanty Town’ to filmmaker Chinenye Nworah.

The Nigerian Trademark Registry (NTR) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), responsible for trademark and copyright regulation respectively, have dismissed actress Ini Edo’s petition regarding the ownership of ‘Shanty Town’ and ruled in favour of filmmaker Chinenye Nworah.

The NCC found no legal grounds for the cancellation and upheld the validity of the certificates, confirming Nworah’s rightful ownership of these copyrights.

According to Olisa Agbakoba, Nworah’s lawyer and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), “the successful defence of these claims underscores the critical need to protect creative works and ensure fair compensation for artists.”

Ini Edo and Minini Empire Productions Limited (MEP) had filed a dual intellectual property petition in January 2024 against Chinenye Nworah and her production company, Giant Creative Media Limited (GCM), over trademark rights to the series.

The legal battle centred on claims by Ini Edo and her company, MEP, who sought ownership of both the trademarks “Shanty Town” and “Scar,” as well as the copyrights associated with the series, which premiered in January 2023.

On January 10, 2024, the Trademark Registry rejected Ini Edo and MEP’s petition regarding the trademarks ‘SCAR’ NG/TM/O/2023/121745 and ‘SHANTY TOWN’ NG/TM/O/2023/97482, declaring it baseless and confirming Mrs Nworah’s exclusive ownership of these trademarks.

In a separate ruling delivered on July 24, 2024, the NCC dismissed Ini Edo and MEP’s petition concerning the cancellation of two copyright certificates issued to Chinenye Nworah for the literary work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number LW10177) and the audiovisual work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number CF1448).

The blockbuster series, directed by Dimeji Ajibola, follows a group of young women pressured into sex work by powerful men.

The six-part crime thriller, released on January 20, 2023, gained significant popularity, featuring a star-studded cast including Chidi Mokeme, Ini Edo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nse Ikpe Etim, Sola Sobowale, Nancy Isime, Shaffy Bello, and Mercy Eke.