After nearly two years of legal proceedings, a Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a ₦5 billion copyright lawsuit against gospel artiste Sinach, affirming her as the sole author and exclusive owner of her global hit song, Way Maker.
Recall that Michael Oluwole, popularly known as Maye, who produced Way Maker for Sinach, filed the lawsuit on March 8, 2024, seeking a court declaration recognising him as a co-author and co-owner of the song. Formal proceedings and hearings in the case commenced on November 27, 2024 but Sinach’s counsel, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, denied the allegations, maintaining that she is the sole author of the song.
The legal team argued that the song was composed, arranged, and performed in collaboration with other artistes, including Nwabude Chude Arinze, before Oluwole became involved.
In the Suit No. FHC/L/CS/402/2024, filed by his counsel, Matthew Enilobo, the plaintiff claimed to be a co-author and co-owner of the song, and that he was entitled to “equitable sharing of all fees from licences and assignments” from it.
According to the statement, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos, who has presided over several high-profile cases spanning intellectual property, corporate disputes and public interest litigation, held that the plaintiff failed to prove authorship or co-ownership of the musical work. The court ruled that Way Maker was originally created and performed by Sinach, including at an earlier performance in South Africa, before the plaintiff was engaged to mix and master the already existing work for its commercial album release in 2015.
The court observed that the plaintiff was paid for those technical services under an oral agreement. The court also emphasised that authorship under copyright law is vested in the natural person who created the original expressive content (melody, harmony, lyrics, or arrangement), and no other.
Way Maker is a global anthem that has been translated into over 50 languages and covered by major international artistes. It reached number one on the Billboard Christian Songwriters chart and won Song of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards in 2020.
