A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered Airtel Networks Limited – a telecommunication firm, to pay Adewole Ojo a Nollywood actor, N20 million in damages for using his photographs to advertise its products without his authorisation or consent.
In suit no. FHC/L/CS/130/2015 filed by the Law Firm of Olumide Babalola LP in November 2015, Adewole Ojo accused Airtel of using his pictures to market their telephone number portability options without seeking his consent or compensating him for such use.
The suit suffered several adjournments but in a judgment delivered by Justice O.O. Oguntoyinbo in September 2022, the court ordered declared Airtel’s unauthorised use an infringement of copyright and awarded the sum of N20 million in damages to Adele Ojo.