Master KG’s record label and the Southern African Music Rights Organisation are out baying for blood and suing a number of international companies and brands for using Jerusalem for their own endorsements through the #JarusalemaChallange craze that gripped the globe since the release of the song in 2019.
Over a hundred thousand videos have been made by companies – including Zimbabwean companies and parastatals – using Master KG’s song without a licence to do so.
Intellectual Property rights advise against the commercial use of the content, including music by individuals and/or companies without an agreement with the owner.
According to IP law, commercial companies that joined in the craze triggered a synchronization licencing fee due to the song being played in the background of most motion videos.
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| Master KG |
A warning has been sent out today by Warner Bros, the record label Master KG is signed under demanding license fees from companies that used the song and joined in the challenge.
“If your company used ‘Jerusalema Challange’ for a video, brace yourself, a bill may be coming your way,” said one of the poster allegedly sent out by SAMRO, an organisation responsible for artists’ royalties and sponsorship of the arts industry in the Southern Africa region.
The German government and its private companies are also part of the bandwagon that used the song without paying for it. Newsroom Africa says they have already been served with court papers to pay up license fees for the song they used.
“If your company used ‘Jerusalema Challange’ for a video, brace yourself, a bill may be coming your way,” said one of the poster allegedly sent out by SAMRO, an organisation responsible for artists’ royalties and sponsorship of the arts industry in the Southern Africa region.
The German government and its private companies are also part of the bandwagon that used the song without paying for it. Newsroom Africa says they have already been served with court papers to pay up license fees for the song they used.
