In a landmark ruling on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, the Commercial Court in Accra found the Confederation of African Football (CAF) guilty of copyright infringement against music producer Spiky. The court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Loddoh, ordered CAF to pay $250,000 in damages and an additional GH¢40,000 in legal costs.
The case revolved around CAF’s unauthorized use of Spiky’s music beat from the track “Okomfo Anokye” in promotional materials for the 2018 CAF Awards. Spiky, whose real name is Kwabena Ofei-Kwadey Nkrumah, argued that CAF’s actions were a clear violation of his intellectual property rights, depriving him of potential income from licensing his music.
Despite Spiky’s efforts to resolve the issue amicably in 2019 through a series of tweets and direct communication, CAF’s response was insufficient. Although CAF admitted to using Spiky’s work without consent and offered an apology via email, they ignored his compensation demands.
In their defense, CAF claimed the music was available for free download online without restrictions and insisted that the CAF Awards were non-commercial. They also noted that they had removed the infringing content from their social media accounts and apologized to Spiky.
Following his victory, Spiky expressed his excitement on social media, stating, “A win for the creative industry: CAF vs Spiky.”
