The Federal Trademark Registry has canceled all documentation granted to Anne Njemanze regarding ‘Domitilla’ trademark ownership.
The revocation order was issued by the register, a commercial law agency of the federal ministry of industry, trade, and investment, in a judgment rendered in a petition regarding the ownership of the brand.
Njemanze, an actress, has been battling ace filmmaker Zeb Ejiro for the proper ownership of ‘Domitilla,’ a brand name for a 1996 film shot and produced by Ejiro.
The film, which depicts the life of a young lady striving to make ends meet as a Lagos prostitute, starred Njemanze as well as Sandra Achums, the late Ada Ameh, and Kate Henshaw.
‘Domitilla 2’ was also produced and released in 1999 by Ejiro, while a remake is scheduled for release in 2023.
Years after the release of Domitilla 1 and 2, Njemanze was said to have trademarked the name “Domitilla and Device” on September 16, 2020.
She later approached the trademark registry to register the name, causing a protracted tussle with Ejiro.
Delivering his judgment on the dispute, Shefiu Adamu, the registrar of the trademark department who led two other members, revoked all documents issued to Njemanze.
“The petitioner (Ejiro) has been using ‘Domitilla’ for a long time. Even the respondent acted in the film named Domitilla’ for the petitioner,” he said.
“The respondent/applicant had acted in a series of films for the petitioner. Section 22 of the Trademark Act is quite explicit.
“The registrar of the trademark has the statutory power to correct any error in connection with the application of trademark.
“The application of the respondent (Njemanze) is hereby refused. The tribunal cancels any document that might have been issued to the applicant, they were all issued in error.
“The applicant acted in bad fate, and with this, the petitioner’s claim is uphold.”
In his response to the judgment, Rockson Igelige, lawyer to Ejiro, said the judgment was well-grounded and in line with the principles of intellectual property rights.
