In a notable legal verdict, the High Court in Kampala granted Jamaican vocalist Konshens a substantial award of Ksh26 million following a lawsuit against Airtel Uganda.
The lawsuit revolved around allegations made by Konshens, who accused the telecommunications giants of utilising his musical compositions as downloadable callback tones without obtaining the requisite authorisation.
Kalenge Bwanika Kisubi and Company Advocates, the legal firm representing Konshens, played a pivotal role in his triumph in this copyright infringement lawsuit.
READ: Court orders influencer to pay Nonini Sh1M over Instagram post
"We successfully represented Konshens in protection of copyright in his songs to wit; 'Simple Song', 'Gyal a Bubble', 'So Mitan', 'No Retreat' among others for being used as caller tunes without any royalties paid to him," read Kisubi and Company Advocates' statement.
Konshens' fans extended their congratulations to him following his victory in the case, with a majority of individuals in the comment section expressing their support.
Many of the commenters requested the advocates to share the complete verdict.
"Congrats are in order. I wonder why performing artists say there’s no copyright protection. A few years back I won Maurice Kirya 200m against MTN and D-mark," Galisonga Kibande commented.
Artist who won copyright cases in 2023
'Usilete Compe' rapper Bamboo initiated legal proceedings in December 2015, taking the step to file a civil case against Safaricom along with two premium rate service providers.
The core allegation was centered on the unauthorized utilisation of his intellectual property by these entities.
They were purportedly generating revenue without his explicit consent and withholding his rightful earnings.
Justice Asenath Nyaboke, presiding over the case, ruled in favor of Bamboo. In her pronouncement, she stated: "I have determined that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants failed to produce records detailing their earnings stemming from the plaintiff's musical creations.
"I have evaluated the damages caused by the infringement of rights and assessed general compensation at Sh1,500,000 per song, relating to the musical pieces titled 'Mama Africa,' 'Yes Indeed,' and 'Move On'," the judge ruled.
READ: Bamboo's motivational message after winning Sh4.5 million in court battle
US-based Genge rapper Hubert Mbuku Nakitare, known as 'Nonini', also won a copyright case against influencer Brian Mutinda almost one year after taking him to court for using his song in an advertisement without his consent.
In July 2022, Nonini posted that Synix Electronics had used his song 'Wekamu' without his permission.
He added another post on January 26 of this year stating that he would unpin his post only after the whole matter was settled.
Nonini is now a happy man after the court ordered influencer Mutinda to pay him Sh1 million for using his work without permission