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| Photo by Ajeet Mestry from Unsplash |
Recently, one of Nigeria's favorite actress, Bimbo Ademoye took to her social media to warn TV stations not to show her films without her permission. The message received mixed reactions. While many fans applauded her for defending her IP rights; the message did not sit well with some of her Ghanaian audience who felt she was being ungrateful, especially since the said broadcast has boosted her popularity across Ghana. Ms. Enyonam Ama Dabor also known as Miz debbie took to her instagram page to vent her grievance. She said that the Ghanaian TV stations promote Nigerian content including Bimbo’s films which are watermarked. So, according to her, every broadcast is basically free marketing, gently pushing viewers back to Bimbo’s channel and building her fan base.
What do you think?
Or wait! Let me give you the full gist, first.
In April 2025, the actress released a video on her YouTube channel, titled Broken Hallelujah. A good one, I tell you (even though I have not watched it yet). It gained high ratings and approval. One would have thought that the film alone would put her on the Forbes billionaire list, amongst other benefits, of course. But to her dismay, the actress found her film airing on different TV stations without her permission. And like that one is not enough, she found other YouTube channels using her title and thumbnail to bait viewers and promote entirely unrelated content. She called out the Ghanaian TV stations for broadcasting her film and diverting her supposed viewers to their channel and thus, leeching off her efforts. She also called out Ajodeji films, Nolly Specials and Nollywood Series for piggybacking on her brand by using her thumbnail and title to promote unrelated content. The actress explained that while she had previously turned a blind eye to people using her name and photos to promote films—even the ones she didn’t feature in—this time was different. This one was non-negotiable. She poured in her time, energy, and emptied her pockets to produce and promote the film, and as far as she’s concerned, no one should be cashing in on her sweat. She also said she used to be open to collaborations, but not anymore. She called on the Ghanaian authorities for help. A few days later, another actress, Omoni Oboli, also accused Ghanaian TV stations of airing her film without permission and therefore adding a generous amount of fuel to the already blazing fire.
It brings us down right back to where we started. Is broadcasting someone’s work without permission an act of promotion or piracy? What say you? Which side of the divide are you on?
I will tell you what the Law says.
The author of a work, which in this case is the film, is the owner of the copyright in it. This ownership comes with an exclusive package that allows them to control the distribution, reproduction, performance and broadcast of the work, whether it's on Netflix, YouTube or even CD. This means that anytime you do something within these rights, like showing the film on your TV station, YouTube Channel or even using the thumbnail without permission, it would be considered an infringement—regardless of your good intentions.
This package also allows Bimbo to sue any media outlet showing her film without her permission. The good thing about this new Copyright Act is that it considered the proliferation of media in the digital age and added provisions relating to online content under Part VII of the Act. So Bimbo can even report those channels to their service providers, which in this case is YouTube. It won't be a good case if they have been reported before.
Perhaps you can convince this writer of your selfless humane intention to promote the creator’s work. But only after you've splitted your accounts. I bet you benefited from this good intention.
So you see, when you put another way, it's like you stole. Actually, you did. In Onitsha main market, it is a good cause for lynching.
So what should you have done?
Ask first. It's really that simple.
Explore licensing or collaboration options.
Respect creators' boundaries. Especially now when we think everything online is “free,” we must remember that creativity costs something. It belongs to someone. It is an intellectual property.
A lot of things can be excused but not Ignorance of the law. It’s time to unlearn the habit of mistaking access for ownership.
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