Obrafour: Ghanaian hiplife Legend Sues Drake For $10 million Over Copyright Infringement

• Ghanaian hiplife artiste Obrafour has sued Drake for $10 million in a US court after accusing the Canadian rapper of copyright infringement
• Obrafuour claims Drake sampled the remix of his 2003 song "Oye Ohene", in the Canadian rapper's 'Calling My Name' song, released on June 17, 2022.
• In an official document released by the United States District Court Southern District Of New York, Obrafour brought an action for damages, declaratory relief, and injunctive relief pursuant to the Copyright Act of 1976

Ghanaian highlife legend Michael Elliot Kwabena Okyere Darko, known as Obrafour, has sued US-based Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham, known as Drake, for allegedly sampling his song.

The celebrated award-winning highlife artiste claimed in a lawsuit that pursuant to the US Copyright Act, certain portions of his song Oye Ohene remix had been incorporated and used by the defendant, Drake, without the Ghanaian star's permission.

Read also

Shatta Wale hails DopeNation; says they thought him music production

Specifically, Obrafour stated that the sampling was done in the song “Calling My Name”, which the defendant Drake released on June 17, 2022.

According to the official documents from the United States District Court, Obrafour stated that an agent of the defendant Drake had contacted him prior to the release of the "Calling My Name" song but had not received permission to proceed with sampling the song.

He said Drake, however, proceeded with releasing the song, thereby infringing on his copyrights.

In his petition to the court, Obrafour sought the following reliefs:

1. A declaration that Defendants have willfully infringed Obrafour’s Copyrighted Work in violation of the Copyright Act
2. A declaration that Defendants are directly, vicariously and/or contributorily liable for copyright infringement, as applicable
3. A permanent injunction requiring Defendants and their agents, employees, officers, attorneys, successors, licensees, partners, and assigns, and all persons acting in concert or participation with each or any one of them, to cease directly and indirectly infringing and causing, enabling, facilitating, encouraging, promoting, inducing, and/or participating in the infringement of any of Obrafour’s rights protected by the Copyright Act.
4. In addition to generating enormous sums of global streams and sales across numerous platforms, the Defendants have exploited the Infringing Work via other means, including live performance.”

Read also

Deaf girl wins Talented Kidz Final, stuns Ghanaians with dynamic dance moves (Video)

The suit concluded that Obrafour was seeking "damages in an amount not less than $10,000,000".

Shatta Wale and Bullgod met in court for the first time to settle a defamatory case dispute

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh published in an earlier news article that dancehall artiste Shatta Wale and Bullgod had met for the first time in a long time after a social media banter landed them in court.

The plaintiff, Bullgod and the defendant, Shatta Wale, were asked by the court to settle the issue after they requested that Shatta Wale publicly apologise to Bulldog and bear the cost of some damages in the process.

Source: YEN.com.gh