The copyright case brought by Mantse Aryeequaye, the creator of the Chalewote Street Art Festival, against producer Hammer and rapper Obrafour, has been dismissed by an Accra High Court.
Mantse had filed lawsuits against producer Hammer and rapper Obrafour, alleging they were the only proprietors of the well-known phrase “killer cut blood,” which appears in the hit song “Oye Ohene.”
But on Thursday, February 15, the Accra High Court, led by Justice John Eugene Nyanteh Nyadu, dismissed the case due to procedural errors.
The dismissal resulted from the court’s observation that Mantse had brought independent claims against the rapper and producer.
In an interview with Joy Entertainment, Obrafour’s attorney, Bobby Benson claimed to have found the technological flaws.
The law is the law, he said, and “he should not have sued Obrafour and Hammer for different cause of actions (claims), but he did.” Thus, the court granted my request to have the case dismissed.
He clarified that the defendants needed to be handled as distinct individuals in two different lawsuits.
Attorney Bobby Banson attested to the fact that Mantse has been awarded GH₵10,000.
A representative for the founder of the Chalewote Street Art Festival expressed their unwavering determination despite the setback caused by the court’s ruling.
Anny Osabutey pointed out that the court decided that Obrafour and Hammer needed to be sued independently even though the situation was similar.
Declaring, “I have been informed that a cost of GHS10,000 was awarded against us but Mantse will go again,” he reaffirmed their resolve to pursue the case.
It was disclosed in January 2024 that Mantse Aryeequaye had filed a lawsuit against producer Hammer and rapper Obrafour for purportedly claiming exclusive ownership of the well-known phrase “killer cut blood.”
The rapper Obrafour sued Canadian artist Drake for allegedly utilizing the term in his song “Oye Ohene” without getting permission, bringing ownership of the phrase under investigation.
Mantse claimed in the lawsuit that Obrafour owned the phrase and had copyrighted it in the US as early as September 2022.
He mentioned that Obrafour had filed the song Oye Ohene under the cover of “robbing him (Mantse) of his intellectual property and seeking to receive payment for plaintiff’s work exclusively” in the United States.
