It appears the legal battle over the rightful ownership of the 1996 Nollywood movie, “Domitilla” between ace actors and film producers Zeb Ejiro and Anne Njemanze is about to be resolved.
The Trademark Tribunal at its headquarters in Abuja cancelled the registration and application of Domitilla as a trademark by Nollywood actress and the lead cast in the film; Anne Njemanze saying she acted in bad fate.
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Zeb Ejiro and Anne Njemanze since March have been at loggerheads in a legal battle over the ownership of the classic film, Domitilla.
Njemanze had sued the Domitilla film producer-director, Ejiro alongside Filmone Entertainment, Film Trybe Media and Dioni Visions Entertainment to the tune of N50 million over the remake of ‘Domitilla: The Reboot.’
The legal action however did not augur well with the ace filmmaker, Ejiro who reacted by serving the actress a countersuit of N500 million describing her case as a gold-digging exercise.
Registrar of Trademark Department, Shefiu Adamu who made the pronouncement at the resumed hearing of a petition filed by Ejiro seeking revocation of a purported registration of the film “Domitilla and Device” by Njemanze.
In September 2020, Njemanze reportedly trademarked the name “Domitilla” a brand the filmmaker, Ejiro challenged.
In a ruling delivered by the Chief Registrar, Shafiu Adamu Yauri, the Tribunal said all the documents issued by the Commission to Njemanze were in error.
The Trademark Registry has adjourned the matter for ruling, if the parties in the dispute failed to reach an agreement of settlement.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
