ELLIS vs. DONKOH AND ANOTHER [1990]DLHC726

Date	1990-08-17
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1990]DLHC726

BROBBEY J

AGYARE KOI LARBI FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

IRENE DANQUAH FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[1990]DLHC726
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">ELLIS<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">DONKOH AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1993-94] 2 GLR 17<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 17 AUGUST
1990<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AGYARE KOI LARBI FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

IRENE DANQUAH FOR THE DEFENDANTS. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF BROBBEY J.<o:p></o:p>Describing himself as a musician, the plaintiff sued the first
defendant in his capacity as a music publisher and the brain behind the second
defendant. The second defendant was sued as a music publishing company. In his
original writ the plaintiff sued for:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.25in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(i).&nbsp;&nbsp;
accounts;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.25in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(ii).¢15 million damages for copyright infringement; and<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.25in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(iii).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
perpetual injunction
restraining the defendants, servants, agents or privies from the continued
infringement of the plaintiff’s copyright.<o:p></o:p>The case of the plaintiff at the beginning of the trial was this:
He created some piano music some time in 1975 in the form of an album described
as “Keyboard Africa.” That album was tendered as exhibit A. The first defendant
orally agreed to publish the musical creation on the basis that the plaintiff
and the first defendant would share the profits in equal proportions. According
to the plaintiff, the first defendant reneged from this oral agreement. The
plaintiff therefore terminated the agreement in the same year of 1975. However,
the plaintiff went on, the defendants were reported to have been producing and
selling the records locally and abroad and receiving moneys and royalties
without accounting to the plaintiff. Hence the reliefs he is seeking in the
writ as stated above.<o:p></o:p>The facts which gave rise to this case occurred in the 1970s and early
1980s. Before 1985 the operative law in this country on copyright was the
Copyright Act, 1961 (Act 85). That was repealed in 1985 by the Copyright Law,
1985 (PNDCL 110), s 54. Section 55 of PNDCL 110 however preserved rights vested
under Act 85 and in fact it went on further to state that those rights would
continue in force as if they were vested under PNDCL 110.<o:p></o:p>While Act 85 could be said to have governed the relationship
between the plaintiff and the defendant up to 1985, the plaintiff issued his writ
of summons on 22 May 1986, at which time the operative law was PNDCL 110. In
essence, the plaintiff built his case principally around the provisions of
PNDCL 110, as is apparent from the motions and final written addresses filed by
his counsel on his behalf. In resolving issues in this cast it would appear
that both Act 85 and PNDCL 110 will, mutatis mutandis, have to be applied.<o:p></o:p>After cross-examination of the plaintiff’s evidence had commenced,
the plaintiff altered his story slightly by amendment to the effect that he
created an adaptation of the songs on exhibit A in terms of PNDCL 110, and
under the international law on copyright and therefore he owned the copyright
of the music adaptation as recorded on exhibit A, which comprises six songs.<o:p></o:p>Those songs and the original authors or composers written by each
title on exhibit A are; “Ashewo” by Oscar Moore; “Yaa Amponsah” by Komfo Sam;
“To wo boto mu” by PK Yamoah; “Aketesia” by Kwamena Ray Ellis; “Ghana Nyigba”
by Nayo; and “Abrantie pa” by Kakaiku. Of all these songs, the fourth
one—”Aketesia”, was acknowledged to have been composed by the plaintiff. All
that will be said about adaptation in this judgment do not apply to that song.<o:p></o:p>