By Bababunmi Agbebi
Edited by Ezennia Uche
Nollywood actress and filmmaker Bimbo Ademoye has publicly decried what she describes as a false copyright claim on her YouTube film Where Love Lives, a development that momentarily disrupted the project’s monetisation and sparked widespread discussion about intellectual property rights in the Nigerian creative industry.
According to statements shared by the actress on social media, an individual using the name Emmanuel Davies allegedly filed a copyright claim over a song featured in Where Love Lives, which first debuted on her official YouTube channel in December 2025. The claim, she says, resulted in YouTube demonetising the film, thereby blocking her from earning revenue on a project that has amassed well over 18 million views within weeks of release.
Ademoye insists that she holds full rights to the soundtrack, which was produced for the film with the consent of the original artist. She further alleged that the same individual also uploaded the song to Spotify and other streaming platforms, listing himself as the composer, a move she decried as both misleading and unlawful.
Expressing her frustration, the actor issued a public ultimatum via her Instagram account, calling on the claimant to lift the copyright from her movie within a specified timeframe or face consequences. Her posts included candid remarks about the emotional and financial toll of the incident, and she urged anyone with information about the individual to come forward.
In her statements, Ademoye tied this incident to past experiences with similar disputes, underscoring broader concerns about piracy and copyright protection within the Nigerian film community.
The situation drew reactions across social media and entertainment news platforms. Some observers highlighted the complexities of digital copyright enforcement, particularly in environments where content creators rely on platforms like YouTube for distribution and income. Others emphasised the importance of clear legal frameworks and proactive rights management to protect artistic works.
Discussions also emerged around the responsibilities of platforms in adjudicating copyright claims and the potential for abuse when dispute mechanisms are triggered without full verification of ownership rights.
Subsequent reports indicate that the dispute was eventually resolved in Ademoye’s favour, with the infringing claim removed and the copyright issue settled to her satisfaction. In a later Instagram post, she expressed relief and gratitude to her supporters, including her creative team and online followers who reportedly helped report the infringing content until it was taken down across platforms.
Her experience has reignited conversations about intellectual property protection, creator rights, and the challenges faced by filmmakers navigating the digital distribution landscape.
