MORGAN ADZEI vs. PEARSON EDUCATION LTD [2009]DLCA6524

Date	2009-07-30
Suit No.	H1/222/08
Citation No.	[2009]DLCA6524

ABBAN (MRS.) J.A. (PRESIDING)

KORBIEH J.A.

AYEBI J.A.

MR. EKOW AWOONOR FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT

MR. KWAME ADOBOR FOR THE 1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT

[2009]DLCA6524
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MORGAN ADZEI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>PEARSON
EDUCATION LTD<o:p></o:p>(1ST
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">MR. KWAME ADOBOR FOR THE
1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">ABBAN (MRS.) J.A. (PRESIDING),
KORBIEH J.A., AYEBI J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ABBAN
(MRS), J.A. <o:p></o:p>This
appeal emanates from a judgment of the High Court Commercial Division held in
Accra on 28th July 2006. <o:p></o:p>The
Defendant/Appellant/Respondent being dissatisfied with the said judgment has
appealed against same to this court. <o:p></o:p>On
the 17th July 2007, the Plaintiff/Respondent being dissatisfied with the award
of damages awarded him on 30th April 2007 cross-appealed against the order for
damages. In the main appeal, the Defendant/Appellant therein filed three
grounds of appeal namely: <o:p></o:p>a
That the learned trial judge erred in law in holding that the Appellant's work
"Gateway to English for Junior Secondary Schools" (the ''work'') is a
substantial copy of the plaintiffs novel, Woes of an African Child (the
"novel"). <o:p></o:p>b
That the learned trial judge erred in law in holding that the Appellant's use
of the Novel is not compatible with fair practice. <o:p></o:p>c
That the learned trial judge erred in law in putting a stringent and narrow
interpretation on section 19 of the Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690). <o:p></o:p>On
9th May 2007, he filed an additional ground of appeal namely: <o:p></o:p>a
that the learned trial judge erred in law in awarding the Plaintiff general
damages of US$75,000 and additional damages of ¢600,000,000 and costs of ¢
150,000,000. <o:p></o:p>In
the cross-appeal the Plaintiff/Respondent/Appellant filed two grounds of appeal
namely: <o:p></o:p>i
That the learned trial judge erred in law by not taking into account in
assessing general damages to be awarded the potential sales Plaintiff lost from
the Ministry of Education after the book had been recommended as a compulsory
text book by the West African Examination Council. <o:p></o:p>ii
That the learned trial judge erred in law by taking into account in assessing
general damages to be awarded the number of offending books printed by the
Defendant/ Appellant/Respondent instead of relying on the real loss to the
Plaintiff as a result of infringement. <o:p></o:p>The
brief facts which led to this appeal and the cross-appeal are as follow: <o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff is the owner of the copyright in a work of fiction entitled
"Woes of the African Mother" which was first published in August
1982. The Defendant/Appellant/Respondent is the publisher of a work entitled
"Gateway to English for Junior Secondary Schools Pupil's Book 3".
Defendant/Appellant/ Respondent is located at Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM
20 2JE, England. In his statement of claim, the Plaintiff averred that the
Defendant's work reproduces a substantial part of the Plaintiffs work and the
Defendant by respectively writing, printing and publishing the Defendant's work
without the licence of the Plaintiff and by authorizing the aforesaid acts, has
infringed the Plaintiffs copyright therein. <o:p></o:p>In
part</main>