Actor Ini Edo loses court battle to own a “Shanty town” to Chinenye Nworah

Filmmaker Chinenye Nworah now has the ownership rights to the popular Netflix series “Shanty Town,” which was formerly starred by Nollywood actress Ini Edo.

Regarding the trademark rights of the well-liked Netflix series Shanty Town, Ini Edo and Minini Empire Productions Limited, MEP, filed a twofold intellectual property petition against Chinenye Nworah and her production firm, “Giant Creative Media Limited,” GCM, in January 2024.

The actress attempted to assert ownership of the copyrights and trademarks associated with “Shanty Town” in the petition.

But in a major legal win for Nworah and GCM, her production company, the Nigerian Trademark Registry, the Nigerian Copyright Commission, and the NCC decided against Ini Edo, labelling the case as baseless and ridiculous.

The NCC refused Ini Edo and MEP’s request to invalidate the two copyright certificates that were granted to Nworah for the literary work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number LW10177) and the audiovisual work “Shanty Town” (Certificate Number CF1448) in a different verdict.

“The successful defence of these claims highlights the importance of protecting creative works and ensuring fair compensation for artists,” Nworah’s attorney Olisa Agbakoba said in response to the victory.