In the past few weeks, the music industry is in topsy-turvy. As this season of beef among fellow celebrities continue to gather momentum, one of the issues that did catch my curiosity is that of the copyrights infringement. In layman’s terms, the song theft issue between Wizkid and Dammy Krane needs better understanding. With Blackface ,defunct member of the Plantashun boiz joining the circus with his accusation about how Wizkid and Tuface stole his song or song idea, this particular drama is in need of a better synopsis beyond that portrayed in the media. Its in need of proper analyses by the media but like usual, the multitude will prefer to break the news, publish every sound bites without properly educating their various audience and maybe by so doing, they could educate the artistes participating in the so called drama.

Now let get to the point, let’s imagine there are several songs in dispute over copyrights infringements, the nagging question is, who is the thief? Who actually owns the song? Where was the song registered to the so-called artiste?

 

If we decide to shift attention from the disgraceful scene created by Wizkid and Dammy Krane when they pronounce their shameful ways of owning some street in Lagos to the point of throwing bottles at each other at a Nightclub, let focus on the legal aspect of things. Within COSON and NCC (Nigeria Copyright Commission), which of these artistes actually secured the rights to their song with any of the two regulating associations for copyrights matters? . Has any of the disputed song ever gone on air and the disputed part of the song evidence to the general public that it was stolen?

In a country as ours where it’s very difficult to distinguish how the likes of Wande coal, Wizkid, Davido actually write their song (they all sound –alike and often talk about same topics) because they all seems to write from the same scripts, it will be difficult to defend the written styles or terminology of artistes.

 

It will even be super funny to think because you brought an idea during a free-style session, that certifies you as the rightful owner of the song. Without encouraging lazy artistes who steal from such avenue, the fact still remain, as long as you are yet to do the right thing by publishing the song or registering the right to the song, it will be hard for you to defend the facts that your song is stolen.

—Sesan Adeniji