Posted on: 08:17 Mon, 21 Mar 2016



A photographer named Emmanuel
Okolo, has dragged singer Tuface
Idibia, his wife Annie, and one
Antonio Anifite before a Federal
High Court in Lagos in a N120
million copyright infringement
suit for allegedly using photographs
he took of them at their traditional
wedding in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
in 2013, without giving him credit
as the owner of the photos.

According to a report by Channels
TV, in the suit which was filed
before Justice Mohammed Idris,
Emmanuel claims that during the
couple’s wedding in 2013, he took
some photographs and
watermarked them using his
company name.

Emmanuel says that some days
after the wedding, Annie contacted
him and asked for the photographs
which he immediately sent to her.
Upon receiving his photos, he said
Annie complained about his
watermark on the photos and asked
that they be removed. He said
Annie sent Antonio Anifite to
negotiate with him.

He claims that he immediately
released the photos to Antonio free
of charge with the understanding
that when it will be uploaded on
Tuface’s personal website,
“2faceonline.com”, he will be duely
credited. Emmanuel says he was
surprised to find out that when the
photos where uploaded, 148 out of
the 355 high resolution photographs
he took were uploaded with
“2faceonline.com” watermark on
them.

Emmanuel who claims to be a
certified film maker from the
prestigious London Film Academy
and a holder of a Masters of Arts
degree from Cardiff School of
Creative and Cultural Industries,
South Wales, United Kingdom, says
he suffered general and exemplary
damages which he is seeking 120
million Naira compensation from
2face, Annie and Anifite.

However in a counter suit filed by
the Idibia’s for which they are
claiming N150 million in damages,
they say Emmanuel was never
invited by them to take photos at
their wedding, that he was just one
of the many uninvited
photographers who came to their
wedding to make some money via
photography.

The Idibia’s in their suit, say that
after their wedding, they noticed
strange copies of their wedding
photos in circulation with
Emmanuel’s studio watermark on
them and after finding out they
were taken by him, they
approached him, expressing their
displeasure. He apologized and also
forced the photos on the Idibia’s,
saying he wants them to use it so
he can leverage on their popularity.

They however made him
understand that the only way they
will use the photos was for his
watermarks to be completely
removed. This he allegedly agreed
to.

The Idibia’s say they were shocked
when after uploading the
photographs, he wrote a pre-
litigation letter to them demanding
that his watermarks be boldly
inscribed across the photographs
and a letter of apology.

The Idibia’s say the photos were
immediately pulled down from
2face’s official website as the
watermarked photos would distort
the original idea of his website.

“The second plaintiff (Okolo),
through his several guile, deceit,
cunning gate-crashing and
opportunistic posturing carefully
planned and orchestrated the
entire events leading to the
institution of this suit with the
express intention of embarrassing,
harassing and blackmailing the
first and third defendants (Annie
and 2face) with a view to extorting
money from them,” they further
claimed in their counter-claim.

They accused the photographer of
having a premeditated plan to
blackmail them and extort money
from them. They urged the judge to
order Okolo and his studio to pull
down all the photographs of them
that the photographer had
circulated.

They are also praying the court to
order Okolo and his studio to
“render forthwith, account as well
as make full and frank disclosure
of all sums and profit made by
them as a result of unauthorised
commercial usage” of their
photographs.