WATCH THE VIDEO HERE A leading telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, has been fined N840 million by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over an infringement case brought against it by Citilink Accesscorp Limited. Citilink dragged MTN Nigeria before Justice Akintayo Aluko over the use of a registered trademark, WEBPLUS. On July 17, 2024, Citilink filed a suit marked HC/L/CS/1124/2014, joining registrar of Trademarks, Patent Designs as a defendant, accusing MTN Nigeria of infringing on its trademark WEBPLUS, which was legally registered in 2001 under Class 9 and renewed in 2014. The firm argued that the telco used MTN WEBPLUS without authorisation. But MTN Nigeria challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that a pending case at the Trademark Tribunal made the lawsuit invalid. It also claimed that its application for MTN WEBPLUS was made in 2012, when Citilink’s trademark registration had lapsed between 2008 and 2014. While stating that the applicant failed to prove trademark infringement, the telecommunications firm insisted that its use of WEBPLUS was an honest concurrent use, meaning it had no intention to deceive, emphasising that the applicant lacked sufficient evidence to justify its financial claims. While ruling on the matter, Justice Aluko granted a perpetual injunction against MTN, barring it from further use of the disputed trademark. The judge, thereafter, awarded N70 million yearly damages, covering Citilink’s loss of business and brand dilution from 2014 to 2025. MTN was also directed to pay the applicant 15 per cent interest per annum on the judgment sum until it is fully paid.
Court Fines MTN Nigeria N840m Over Use of ‘WebPlus’
