Team Eternity Ghana, has been encouraged by James Owusu-Ansah, to settle any copyright concerns about their hit song, Defe Defe.
The Senior Research Officer at the Copyright Office, cautioned Team Eternity Ghana against going to court and stressed the need to avoid needless legal drama.
He gave advice to settle the dispute out of court in an interview with Graphic Showbiz. He pointed out that the copyright rules and their specific application to the case were the subject of the dispute surrounding the matter.
“The chorus and hook are essential components in a song’s ability to become widely recognized. It is important to consider uniqueness and creativity before writing a song.
“This implies that while nobody owns ideas and words, the original author retains exclusive rights to their distinctive presentation. A person must show that they put time and effort into creating their work—in order to establish copyright.
“If they are unable to prove themselves, they may be found guilty of copyright infringement. To determine copyright infringement, we must examine whether the expression of ideas was original and creative,” he stated.
Mr. Owusu-Ansah asserts that Team Eternity should have asked permission from the originator of the phrase “defe defe” even if they wished to use it.
To settle the dispute, he advised both parties to write to the Copyright Office.
“The Copyright Office may mediate conflicts between parties by Section 48 of the Copyright Act, 2008 (Act 690). Over the years, the Copyright Office has amicably resolved matters of this kind without the parties having to seek a settlement in court,” he said.
Mr Kwame Mickey accused Team Eternity Ghana of infringing on his intellectual property by using the ‘defe defe’ line in their hit single. The controversy has generated intense debate on social media, with opinions divided on whether the expression is unique to Hallelujah Voices or if similarities in the lyrics suggest potential copyright infringement.
BY: APPIANIMAA MERCY
