The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered mediation in a copyright dispute between International Pageants and Films Ltd. and 28 defendants, including Chioma Ude, founder of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
Justice Binta Nyako appointed Abbas Fufore as mediator and gave both parties four months to settle, with the court to review the outcome on September 25.
The dispute, dating back to lawsuits filed in 2014 and 2015, alleges that AFRIFF infringes on the trademark of the African Film Festival (AFF), which was established in 1990 and introduced to Nigeria in 2003.
The mediation is expected to end a 10-year legal battle that has drawn attention across Nigeria’s film industry.
