The third quarter of 2026 brought significant developments across Nigeria’s entertainment and creative economy. Courts delivered notable rulings on authorship, recording contracts and collective management, regulators moved on film censorship and digital enforcement, and global AI-related copyright litigation continued to escalate. This edition of the Entertainment Law Digest covers the key developments.
HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS EDITION:
Sinach Wins ₦5 Billion Copyright Battle Over “Way Maker”
On 24 July 2026, the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, dismissed a suit by music producer Michael Oluwole (Maye) against gospel musician Osinachi Joseph Egbu (Sinach), in which he claimed co-authorship, co-ownership and ₦5 billion in damages over the song “Way Maker”. Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa held that providing post-production services such as mixing and mastering an existing composition does not confer co-authorship, since authorship requires original expressive contribution to the composition