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Singer Kiggundu Bruno (also known as Bruno K) emerged victorious this week in a legal battle against the American-based record label Black Market Records LLC, which resulted in the award of UGX 130 million in damages.
The case centred around allegations of copyright infringement and unlawful exploitation of his music.
The Disputed Agreement and Breach
The legal troubles began in 2020 when Bruno K entered into a one-year exclusive recording agreement with Black Market Records LLC.
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The label, which had been expanding its operations in Uganda, sought to sign Bruno K as one of its artists.
The contract stipulated that the label would finance the production of his music and manage the collection of royalties, with profits being split between the artist and the label.
Bruno K was excited about the opportunity, but soon after the agreement was signed, problems began to arise.
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The artist produced only one song under the agreement, after which the contract ended.
However, things took a turn for the worse when Bruno K uploaded additional songs to his YouTube channel, only to find that his music was being taken down based on false copyright claims by the label.
Further investigation revealed that Black Market Records LLC, the entity with which Bruno K had signed the agreement, did not even exist legally at the time of contracting, rendering the contract null and void under California law.
Bruno, through his lawyers, told the court that he later discovered that the label, along with its agents, had been falsely claiming ownership of all his music and attempting to block his YouTube channels.
The musician says he lost substantial revenue as his YouTube account was suspended and monetisation opportunities were stripped away.
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The case was not only about vindicating his intellectual property rights but also about recovering lost revenue.
Bruno K testified that he had earned huge sums from YouTube and Google AdSense in 2020 and 2021 before his channels were banned.
However, he lost all income in 2022 after the wrongful strikes. The evidence showed that the defendants had earned substantial sums—over $17,700—from his hit song "Omuwala" alone, but Bruno K had only been paid a measly UGX 20,000.
The Court’s Ruling: A Victory for Artists
The High Court ruling, delivered by Hon. Lady Justice Patricia Mutesi, found in favour of Bruno K on several counts.
The judge ruled that the Exclusive Recording Artist Agreement was void because it was made with an entity that did not legally exist at the time.
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In addition, the court found that Black Market Records LLC had infringed on Bruno K’s copyright by unlawfully removing his music from YouTube and making false claims of ownership.
The court also issued a permanent injunction, preventing the label and its agents from continuing to infringe on Bruno K’s copyright.
Furthermore, the defendants were ordered to deliver a full accounting of all the royalties earned from the artist’s music, both during the contract period and after its expiry.
In recognition of the emotional and financial toll the defendants’ actions had on the plaintiff, the court awarded UGX 100 million in general damages and UGX 30 million in aggravated damages, emphasising the callousness of the defendants' actions.
In a further blow to the defendants, the 4th defendant (Black Market Records LLC) raised a counterclaim seeking the recovery of money they claimed to have advanced to Bruno K for producing songs under the agreement.
The court ruled that the claim was partially allowed, with the amount reduced to UGX 2.785 million, which would be deducted from any future royalties due to the label.
The court’s final order included significant financial penalties and a strong message to record labels exploiting artists' works without fair compensation. The defendants were also ordered to pay interest on the sums owed, at rates of 16% and 14% per annum, until full payment was made.