Guyanese singer, Jackie Hanover aka Jackie Jaxx and calypsonian Ivan “D’iVan” Harry have filed a US$1.6 Million lawsuit in New York against the One Communications company, formerly GTT, over the reported unauthorized use of their song, “Guyana”, at the One Communications brand launching earlier this month.

At the event, the song was performed by local singer, Nikeita. She is also named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that One Communications and Nikeita infringed on the copyrights of Jackie Jaxx and D’Ivan by performing, broadcasting and commercially exploiting their song without obtaining the necessary permissions.

The plaintiffs contend that One Communications gained significant economic benefits by infringing their copyright protection.

In a statement, Jackie Jaxx said she hopes that the lawsuit will force corporate entities to show respect for song writers and content creators by implementing proper copyright clearance for all works used at their events.

It was noted that the lawsuit was filed after efforts to resolve the dispute failed. Jaxx and D’Ivan had written to One Communications demanding $50 million for the unauthorized use of the song at the event. The company was reportedly offering the two singers the talent fee of $300,000 each after they complained about the song being sung by Nikeita without their permission.

The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern New York District Court by Attorney Vivian Williams.

In a statement over the weekend, One Communications said it acknowledges the alleged copyright infringement claim and is currently conducting a thorough investigation.

The company said while it would not comment on legal matters, it would like to emphasize its commitment to supporting Guyanese artistes and the creative industry.

The One Communications rebrand launching took place at the Marriott Parking lot.

Related posts:

GTT is now ONE Communications Survivors of Mahdia Dorm Fire file multi-million dollar lawsuit against the State Guyana Police Force “serves” Guyana Court summons on Rickford Burke in New York Local singer Blaze Antonio teams up with Foreign Affairs to raise awareness on border controversy with new song