Uganda is one of those countries where people don’t care about copyrights even with the copyright law, the enforcement seems to be on the down low. This however is about to change and one of people trying to question the norm of not enforcing this law is non other but the Former Lord Mayor Al Hajji Nasser Ntege Ssebagala who just sued the MTN Uganda for 8 Billion UGX.
The Mayor who claims that for 8 month MTN Uganda sold his comedic speech which was turned into ringtone to MTN customer without his consent. The former mayor says he toiled to make this the speech and it’s use as a ringtone has brought mental anguish and general discouragement, so he is asking the court to get an audit from MTN and is demanding a 20% monthly interest on the ascertained audited figure, together with a 20% monthly interest on damages and costs of the suit, from the date of judgment until full payment.
My Say:
Hajji Ssebagala has been known for being a strategist when it comes to making money, from his early days in the United States to when he almost became a State Minister, well that put aside I see Hajji Nasser as one of the few Ugandans who have come from nothing and have built an empire of their own. He is a true Ugandan and not knowing the best English doesn’t mean that he should be taken for granted. He deserves the privileged of benefiting from his works.
I therefore advise MTN Uganda to settle out of court because there is no way I see them winning this one, we all know the ringtones were sold and Hajji Nasser Should get his fair share plus the damages. It’s a win-win for the former Mayor and I can’t wait to see how this end. Well let me know what you think about the Lawsuit in the comments section.
