Ghanaian beatmaker and tech enthusiast Kwabena Ofei-Kwadey Nkrumah, also known as Kobby Spiky, has stated that he received more than he bargained for after arguing that the Confederation of African Football used his music material without permission in the run-up to the 2018 CAF Awards.
Spiky won a case at the Commercial Court 7 in Accra after suing CAF for using sections of his ‘Okomfo Anokye’ beats in promotional materials for the 2018 CAF Awards.
The court ruled that CAF must pay US$250,000 to Spiky.
Speaking on Asaase’s Artsy on Saturday (20 July), Spiky said, “I got more than I expected from the lawsuit. My expectations were very managed. I didn’t go in expecting that much.”
“And mind you so many people told me so many things. Someone said that they won 50, 000 for bigger cases.”
He added, “This honestly is for the industry. I think the industry for a long time coming, has been underappreciated. I have been doing educating stuff with MUSIGA about copyright and this was prior to my winning.”
In 2022, Spiky dragged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to court over an alleged use of his music beat for promotional purposes without his permission.
“I noticed that in Ghana, if you want to make change, you actually have to give them an example and so I am one of the few people who sold beats for a lot of money. So I can encourage people to do the same… “
Spiky said the football governing body used his work, Okomfo Anokye, to promote the 2018 CAF Awards without recourse to him. The court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Lodoh, has ruled in favour of Kobby after a two-year legal battle.
“So one of my beats; Okomfo Anokye, and put it out there in case anyone wanted to make the Okomfo Anokye movie or animation, I already have a score for it, and I put it out, I was really proud of myself.
“It was a friend who found that sound and sent it to me and I would never have found it. I don’t like sports, so I sent CAF a tweet telling them they are using my soundtrack and how do we move forward from there but they ignored.”
“They later reached out and I asked for compensation then they ignored me. So I went the legal way and started researching how much I was entitled to.”
Recounting the first time he sold a beat, Spiky said, “The first time that I sold a beat that was worth something was a signature tune for a TV show. I sold that one for US$500 at the time. It was a 30-second signature tune.”
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