Court Dismisses N1bn Copyright Suit Against MTN Over ‘20 for 20’ Anniversary Promo.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a N1 billion lawsuit filed against MTN Nigeria Communications Plc over alleged copyright infringement, breach of confidentiality and trademark violations linked to the company’s 20th anniversary promotional campaign.

Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji, in a judgment delivered on January 6, 2026, ruled that Walls and Gates Ltd and its Managing Director, Okechukwu Udeichi, failed to establish any legally protectable rights over their proposed “20 for 20” promotion.

The court described the suit as frivolous, speculative and vexatious, dismissing it in its entirety and awarding N3 million in costs against the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs had claimed that MTN unlawfully used a proposal they allegedly submitted to the telecommunications company in September 2019 ahead of its 20th anniversary celebrations in 2021.

They argued that MTN’s anniversary promotion, which involved awarding 20 sport utility vehicles to subscribers, was based on their “20 for 20” concept. They subsequently sought N1 billion in damages or, alternatively, an order compelling MTN to account for revenue generated from the promotion and pay 50 per cent to them.

However, Justice Faji held that the plaintiffs failed to prove their claims.

On confidentiality, the judge ruled that no confidential relationship existed between the parties. He noted that the plaintiffs had submitted the same proposal to the Nigerian Copyright Commission and relied on it for a trademark application before sending it to MTN.

The court also observed that the plaintiffs admitted sharing the proposal with other organisations, thereby weakening their claim that the document was confidential.

Regarding copyright, Justice Faji stressed that Nigerian copyright law protects original expressions rather than ideas, concepts or business proposals.

He ruled that the proposed “20 for 20 Millennium Promotion” was essentially an idea to reward customers during an anniversary celebration and did not contain sufficient originality or intellectual effort to qualify for copyright protection.

The judge further held that the expression “MTN 20th Anniversary” was simply a natural description of the telecommunications company's anniversary and was not derived from any copyright-protected work belonging to the plaintiffs.

Justice Faji characterised the lawsuit as a “gold-digging exercise” intended to force a commercial relationship on MTN.

The court consequently dismissed all the claims and ordered the plaintiffs to pay N3 million in costs to MTN.