Singer Ewa Cole has sued director Funke Akindele and music executive JJC Skillz for allegedly violating her song rights in the film “She Must Be Obeyed.”
“SHE Must Be Obeyed,” a five-part series was co-directed by Funke Akindele and her ex-husband JJC Skillz. It was produced by SceneOne Entertainment.
Ewa Cole, through her attorney Adewale Williams, claims ownership of the rights to “Opoor” and “Bhad Garl,” two of the songs allegedly sampled in “SHE Must Be Obeyed,” in a case brought before the Federal High Court of Lagos.
Tony Ugiagbe (Topage), Waje, Veeiye, Amazon Web Services Nigeria Ltd. (BoomPlay), Amazon Web Services Inc., and Apple Inc. are among the defendants in this action.
Cole claimed that after Topage, the song producer, told her that her songs were rejected, Waje and Veeiye copied “Bhad Gyal” and “Opoor.”
She alleged that no credit was given to her and that the songs were copied without “permission or approval.”
In addition, Ewa Cole demands N300 million in damages for what she claims to be labor infringement.
She requested that the defendants be barred from copyrighting, performing, or redistributing her musical compositions forever by a permanent injunction from the court.
She pleaded with the court to grant the defendants a 45 percent cut of all earnings from the use, performance, duplication, and sale of the two songs.
