African Broadcasting Uganda Limited, the holding company of Nation Television Uganda (NTVU) is trouble and could lose billions of shillings in court awards for allegedly stealing an idea from a young Kampala lawyer.
A young city lawyers by the names of Emmy Mutabazi Kahirwa has filed civil suit number 219 in the Commercial Court Division against the broadcaster for allegedly stealing his idea, The Time Line 256.
The programme aired social media trends and hot topics online every day 9am, 4:50pm, 6:50pm and 10:00pm. The programme mainly targeted trends on Facebook and Twitter.
NTV has been asked to file defile a defence within 15 days.
“Whereas the above named plaintiff has instituted a suit against you upon the claim the particulars of which are set out in the copy of the plaint attached here to You are hereby required to file a defence in the said suit within fifteen days from the date of service of summons on you in the manner prescribed under … civil procedure,” reads part of the summons letter dated March 22, 2018. The summons was received by African Broadcasting Uganda on March 23, 2018.
Should the hearing begin, details of how NTVU allegedly stole Time Line from the lawyer will emerge.
The case, another lawyer says, is an infringement on the property rights of his colleague, if at all he had gone through intellectual property processes to register it legally.
Should the company lose the case, chances are that, as it always happens, court could award the plaintiff money worth billions of shillings as compensations.
NTV dragged to court over ‘stealing’ business idea
