Court Confirms Sinach as Sole Owner of Way Maker, Throws Out ₦5 Billion Copyright Suit

Court Confirms Sinach as Sole Owner of Way Maker, Throws Out ₦5 Billion Copyright Suit

On Friday, July 31, 2026, the Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed a ₦5 billion copyright lawsuit filed against Nigerian gospel singer Osinachi Joseph Egbu, popularly known as Sinach, over ownership of her globally celebrated worship song, Way Maker.

Delivering judgment, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa ruled that music producer Michael Oluwole (Maye) failed to establish that he co-wrote or jointly owned the song. The court held that Way Maker had already been composed and performed by Sinach before the producer was brought in to provide mixing and mastering services for its commercial release in 2015.

The judge explained that under Nigeria's copyright law, ownership belongs to the individual who creates the original musical expression, including the melody, lyrics, harmony, or arrangement. The court further noted that providing technical production services alone does not confer authorship unless the person contributes original creative content.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa also found that the producer had already been compensated for his work under an oral agreement and described the lawsuit as "gold-digging and unmeritorious," before dismissing all the claims brought before the court.

The judgment officially affirms Sinach as the sole author and copyright owner of Way Maker, one of the most influential gospel songs to emerge from Africa. Since its release, the song has been translated into more than 50 languages, recorded by numerous international gospel artists, surpassed 100 million YouTube views, and received global recognition, including the GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year.

Legal experts say the ruling represents a significant moment for Nigeria's creative industry, reinforcing the importance of copyright protection and clarifying the distinction between creative authorship and technical production in musical works.

Do you think this judgment will encourage more Nigerian artists to take intellectual property protection more seriously?