Actress Ini Edo loses the movie Shanty Town ownership legal battle to Chinenye Nworah

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Popular Nigerian filmmaker and actress Ini Edo has lost the ownership rights to the hit 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 trademark rights to the series.

In the petition, Ini Edo sought to claim 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 NCC rejected Ini Edo and MEP’s petition to cancel 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).

Reacting to the victory, Nworah’s lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, stated that “the successful defense of these claims underscores 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, quickly became a sensation, featuring an ensemble cast including Chidi Mokeme, Ini Edo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Sola Sobowale, Nancy Isime, Shaffy Bello, and Ali Nuhu.

In case you missed it, checkout some scenes from the movie below;

Watch video below ;

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