In a copyright lawsuit, the court asks Nyashinski to produce the Tecno contract

Rapper and vocalist Nyamari ‘Nyashinski’ Ongegu has requested the court for additional time to provide complete contract documents regarding an ambassadorial deal he inked with Tecno Kenya Limited.

The deal, sealed in May 2023 and purportedly worth millions of shillings, lies at the core of a Copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the popular singer by Nigerian producer Sam Eliapenda Jedidah, also known as Sam Eli.

According to court documents obtained by Nairobi News, Sam Eli alleges that Nyashinski endorsed the Tecno device Camon 20 using the hit song ‘Wach Wach’, which he produced, as part of a brand endorsement deal with the smartphone manufacturer.

Appearing in a virtual court session before Honourable Justice Selina Muchungi for another mention of the case, Nyashinski’s defense team, Humphrey & Co Advocates, requested more time to fully comply with the documents requested by the plaintiff’s lawyer, James T. Makori Advocates, before setting a hearing date for the lawsuit.

In February 2024, Sam Eli requested the court to compel Nyashinski to produce royalty reports for five songs he produced for the ‘Lucky You’ album, including ‘Flowers’, ‘Wach Wach’, ‘Too Much’, ‘Showman’, and ‘Top Form’, as well as the brand ambassadorship agreement with Tecno Kenya Limited.

During today’s hearing, Sam Eli’s legal team confirmed receiving royalty reports for only three songs and requested the remaining documents. Nyashinski’s lawyers argued against producing the brand ambassadorship agreement, citing confidentiality under a non-disclosure agreement.

Regarding the royalty reports for ‘Showman’ and ‘Top Form’, Nyashinski’s lawyers stated that they only provided reports for the songs demanded by formal request.

However, Sam Eli’s team insisted that there was a formal application for all five songs, prompting Justice Muchungi to issue fresh directions. The court directed Nyashinski’s defense team to produce the royalty reports for ‘Showman’ and ‘Top Form’ songs, as well as the brand ambassadorship agreement, within 14 days. Justice Muchungi also granted seven days for Sam Eli’s team to review the documents upon being served, scheduling the next mention for April 12, 2023.