Offset Communications Advisory Ltd has instituted a N50 million suit against Qore Technologies Ltd at the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged copyright infringement.
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1994/2025, the plaintiff accused the defendant of unlawfully using content from a proposal it submitted in December 2022 without attribution, formal engagement, or a licensing agreement.
According to court filings, Offset alleged that Qore adopted and implemented elements of the proposal, including strategies on employee engagement, branding, and stakeholder management, without compensation.
“The Defendant’s execution of the content of the proposal submitted to it by the Plaintiff without any formal engagement, attribution or a licensing arrangement amounts to an infringement of the Plaintiff’s copyright,” the plaintiff stated in its writ of summons.
The suit, filed on Sept. 29, 2025, by counsel Jimoh Bamigbola and Omobolaji Idris, listed Qore Technologies as the sole defendant.
Offset, a Lagos-based communications firm, told the court that it had previously handled Public Relations (PR) assignments for Qore before being invited to submit a comprehensive communications strategy proposal.
The firm, however, claimed that although no formal contract was executed, Qore proceeded to deploy key aspects of the proposal in its internal communication and branding initiatives.
“The Defendant executed and integrated the propositions into its Public Relations and Communication Strategy without any formal engagement with the Plaintiff,” the statement of claim read.
Offset said it became aware of the alleged infringement in April 2025 and subsequently notified the defendant, but efforts to resolve the dispute amicably were unsuccessful.
The plaintiff is seeking a declaration that Qore’s actions constitute copyright infringement, N50 million in general damages, N5 million as litigation costs, and 29 per cent post-judgment interest.
It also prayed the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further use of the disputed materials.
In its defence, Qore Technologies Ltd denied the allegations, maintaining that the plaintiff was only engaged for limited PR support services on a project basis and was duly compensated.
“The Plaintiff merely provided routine and secondary Public Relations support services for which the Plaintiff was remunerated,” the defendant stated.
Qore further argued that the ideas cited by Offset do not qualify for copyright protection under Nigerian law.
“The alleged ideas consist of generic corporate communication practices widely used by companies and cannot constitute original copyrightable works,” it said.
The company also contended that no binding agreement existed regarding the proposal and insisted that its branding and communication strategies were independently developed by its in-house team and consultants.
Additionally, the defendant challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that the statement of claim discloses no reasonable cause of action and that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Qore filed a counterclaim seeking N6.35 million as reimbursement for legal fees and an additional N2 million as costs.
At the proceedings on March 23, 2026, counsel to both parties adopted their respective processes, after which the court adjourned the matter to June 22, 2026, for further hearing.
The case is expected to test the scope of copyright protection within Nigeria’s communications and public relations industry, particularly on the ownership and use of proposals and business ideas.
