After 5 years of back and forth in court, the law has ruled in favor of Rex Omar against Joy Dadi for Copywrite issues in one of their commercials some years back. The court has also issued a dictum to Joy industries to pay an amount of GHS 200,000 to Rex Omar. The head of GHAMRO, Rex Omar, took to his social media handles saying that “I didn’t go to court against Joy Dadi Bitters for the money. I did it for the principle and the creative arts industry. You can’t use someone’s sweat and creativity just like that, without his permission, without crediting him and without paying him for it. That is against the law.
This should open the door for all musicians whose music is used without their permission to demand what is rightfully theirs. I am glad I took this stand. We have been in court for years and I prevailed. But this is a sweet victory for the creative arts industry.
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I must also thank my lawyers for staying by my side throughout this journey.”-Rex Omar
While some congratulated him for his victory, others haven’t been entirely happy about it. According to opinions, joy industries has been one of the solid sponsors and backbones of major entertainment events and acts in Ghana and feared this act will mar the relationship and business between the company and the entertainment industry.
Others also believed that if joy industries are business-minded they won’t use this as a reason not to sponsor entertainment events since despite what happened, the entertainment industry and acts have contributed immensely to the income of the company.
Another group also sees Rex Omar’s steps as the right precedent and example to deal with Copywrite issues in Ghana which seems to be undermined. Rex Omar is the head of the Ghana Music Right Organization (GHAMRO), and taking on a brand like joy industries made this case special.
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Some have also called out Rex Omar saying that he should use the same zeal and commitment he used to chase his case for 5 years to pursue similar Copywrite issues for Ghanaian artists whose works are being used without the necessary permissions. Rex Omar defended his office saying that, contrary to the incompetent allegations leveled at his office, there are several cases in court GHAMRO are pursuing other acts even though such cases may not be popular or in the news.
Though the ruling took a long time, artists were encouraged to take legal means when their works are being plagiarized in order to protect their intellectual properties.
