By Huldah Shado
The Federal High Court in Abuja has referred a copyright dispute between International Pageants and Films Ltd. and 28 defendants to mediation, granting a four-month window for resolution.
Justice Binta Nyako appointed Abbas Fufore as mediator, directing that the process be concluded by September, with the court set to review the outcome on September 25.
The case stems from lawsuits filed in 2014 and 2015 by Charles Chukwuani and others against Chioma Ude, founder of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
The plaintiffs allege that AFRIFF infringes on the trademark of the African Film Festival (AFF), established in 1990 by Mahen Bonetti and extended to Nigeria in 2003 through International Pageants and Films Ltd.
They contend that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), erred in permitting Ude to register a company name they claim is deceptively similar to AFF.
The mediation is expected to bring both sides together to seek an amicable settlement to a decade-long dispute that has drawn attention within Nigeria’s creative industry.
