10th January, 2011
The Ribadu Campaign Organisation has threatened to take legal actions against the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organisation to stop what it terms gross violation of the intellectual property rights of its campaign and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a presidential aspirant under the banner of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
The issue in question is the slogan A NEW NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, a creation of the Ribadu Campaign Organisation that has been used in in various platforms, correspondences, media and publicity materials by the campaign since its inauguration six months ago.
In the last one month, the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organization has persistently used the slogan in its TV campaigns featuring President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo.
In a letter sent to the Director General of the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation signed by Chido Onumah, head of media and communication, the Ribadu Campaign Organisation noted that “the unauthorised use of the political slogan constitutes a copyright infringement, which represents a serious breach on Mr. Nuhu Ribadu’s exclusive rights to reproduce or to make derivative works of this sloganâ€.
“Nigerian law provides stern criminal and civil liabilities for this type of transgression and I urge you to move expeditiously to correct this infraction which, in an election year, is obviously targeted to depress the stock of our principal, and the viability of his campaign,†Onumah added.