Gospel music group Alabaster Box has filed a lawsuit against Ghanaian rapper Medikal for allegedly infringing on their copyright by sampling their 2002 hit song “Akwaaba” without permission.
The group is demanding GHC 15 million in damages, alongside a range of other legal actions, in a case that highlights ongoing concerns over intellectual property rights in the music industry.
According to the lawsuit, filed through a writ of summons, Alabaster Box claims that Medikal’s “Welcome to Africa” song samples the first ten seconds of their track “Akwaaba” without obtaining prior consent. The group asserts that they made a formal request for Medikal to remove the unauthorized sample, but despite this, the song continues to be distributed and promoted on several major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, and Audiomack, as well as through radio airplay.
The lawsuit includes a request for several legal reliefs, including:
- A declaration that Medikal’s song “Welcome to Africa” is a derivative work of “Akwaaba”.
- A declaration that the use of their copyrighted song without permission constitutes an infringement.
- A permanent injunction preventing Medikal from further distributing or promoting the track.
- Termination of any commercial agreements related to the song.
- An accounting of all profits generated from the song.
- The removal of “Welcome to Africa” from all streaming platforms.
- General damages of GHC 10 million and exemplary damages of GHC 5 million due to the alleged harm to the group’s brand and the association of their music with Medikal’s work.
The case emphasizes the importance of respecting intellectual property rights in the Ghanaian music industry, with Alabaster Box arguing that the continued distribution of the song constitutes a “continuing infringement”.
The court has given Medikal eight days to respond or risk a default judgment being passed against him. The legal battle is expected to raise further questions about the protection of artists’ rights in an industry that is rapidly expanding on both local and international stages.
