The Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a ₦5 billion copyright infringement suit filed against award-winning gospel singer Osinachi Joseph Egbu, popularly known as Sinach, over her globally acclaimed song, Way Maker.
Gatekeepers News reports that in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/402/2024, music producer Michael Oluwole, also known as Maye, claimed he was an author and co-owner of the hit song. He sought a declaration of co-ownership, an equitable share of all revenues generated from the song through licences and assignments, alleged infringement of his performer’s rights, and demanded ₦5 billion in general damages, among other reliefs.
Delivering judgment, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa ruled that the plaintiff failed to establish any legal basis for claiming authorship or co-ownership of Way Maker.
The court held that the song had already been created and performed by Sinach, including during an earlier performance in South Africa, before Oluwole was engaged to mix and master the existing work for its commercial album release in 2015. The court found that he was paid for those technical services under an oral agreement.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa further clarified that copyright authorship belongs to the individual who creates the original expressive elements of a musical work, including its melody, harmony, lyrics or arrangement.
According to the court, a music producer, sound engineer or session contributor does not automatically become an author by providing technical or instrumental support unless they contribute original expressive content to the work.
The judge noted that the plaintiff’s own testimony and admissions during cross-examination confirmed that Sinach presented an already existing song, which he only helped transform into a commercially recorded version in exchange for payment.
Describing the lawsuit as “gold-digging and unmeritorious,” Justice Lewis-Allagoa dismissed the case in its entirety.
Sinach, who was represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Emeka Etiaba alongside Omolola Aderolu and O.G. Ofomata, consistently denied the producer’s co-ownership claims, maintaining that she is the sole author of Way Maker and that Oluwole was fully compensated for his technical mixing services.
She also argued that she had already attained international recognition before the release of Way Maker and maintained that the song was composed, arranged and performed in collaboration with other artistes before the plaintiff became involved in the production process.
Following the judgment, Sinach and her husband, Joseph Egbu, Chairman of Slic Inspire Ltd and Gosgem Records—the companies that manage the singer—expressed appreciation to their legal team led by Etiaba for securing the favourable verdict.
The ruling reaffirmed Sinach’s sole authorship and ownership of Way Maker, a song that has become one of the most influential gospel recordings worldwide.
Released to international acclaim, Way Maker became the first Nigerian gospel song to surpass 100 million views on YouTube in March 2019. It has won several prestigious awards, including the GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year, has been translated into more than 50 languages, and has been covered by over 60 Christian artistes, including Michael W. Smith and Bethel Music.
In 2020, the song ranked among the most-played worship songs in churches across the United States and was widely used during protest marches honouring George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The judgment is expected to serve as a significant legal reference for future copyright and intellectual property disputes within Nigeria’s music industry.
