DAGRIN MOVIE: 'WE HAVE NO CASE TO ANSWER' - VIRGIN ATLANTIC

The Management of Virgin Atlantic, has stated that it did not infringe on copyright laws concerning the biopic of late Nigerian rapper, Dagrin . This follows the release two weeks ago, by the producers of the biopic Stingomania, saying the airline had infringed on their copyright by allegedly listing and airing the movie as part of Virgin’s in-flight entertainment for passengers on their planes.

An official in charge of press matters at Virgin Atlantic’s corporate office at Ikeja, Lagos, Bennet Scot, who spoke with NET, says the Richard Branson-owned airline ‘has no case to answer.’

‘Virgin Nigeria has not infringed on any laws concerning this matter and any legal issue regarding this is to be resolved by the global production company and the producers‘, said the official.

When probed further if Virgin Atlantic had no case to answer in the matter, she replied ‘I’m afraid so‘. She however refused to comment further on the issue.

Stingomania Records, had brought a lawsuit against the company for what it alleged were flagrant disregard of copyright laws on the protected work, ‘Ghetto Dreamz’.

Stingomania says it is suing the airline for damages to the tune of N1Bn (N1,000,000,000) as well as N50M as cost of prosecution.

NIGERIAN PRODUCER DRAGS VIRGIN ATLANTIC TO COURT OVER DAGRIN MOVIE

Movie producer and Stingomania Records boss Ope Banwo is reportedly suing Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic for one Billion Naira (N1,000,000,000) over an alleged infringement of the company’s rights on  the Dagrin biopic ‘Ghetto Dreamz’.

Banwo who produced the movie, alleges through his PR rep Bigsam Media that the full length of the movie was played ‘on over 71 international routes of the airline, the video content and soundtracks were also played in their office, they uploaded a trailer and exhibited a poster of the movie on their websites including www.virgin-atlantic.com/ng, virginatlantic.mymovies.net; seatback@fly.virgin.com’.

The Stingomania C.E.O also claims that the contents of the movie and particulars were also published in their inflight magazines circulated across all routes, travel agencies and inflight. ‘Justice Adah of the Federal High Court sitting at the Ikeja Judicial Division, Alausa, Lagos, on the 8^th of February granted an expert order restraining the Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd whether by themselves, agents, privies, management, directors, pilots, flight crew etc from infringing or continuing to infringe the copyright in any audio, performance, soundtrack, cinematograph rights and audio-visual musical recordings of the plaintiff, Ope Banwo, as well as his literary rights particularly as contained in his work being the movie titled ‘’Ghetto Dreamz’’ as particularly described in the schedule to the application on the Defendants international air fleet as presently aired in – flight, as published in Seat-Back Magazine and websites pending the determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction’, 

According to the statement, Banwo has sued for N1BN as compensation; N5M as the cost of prosecution while he also requested for the court to mandate the defendants to publish apologies in three national newspapers, on the defendants’ websites and in their inflight magazine. We could not immediately get an official response from Virgin. A NET reporter placed a call to the airline’s official contact number but was told by a lady named Amanda to call back to speak with the appropriate personnel. ‘Please call back on Tuesday, to speak with Scott Ebenett’. The statement also says that the court has granted the exparte order while the matter is adjourned to March 12, 2012.