U.S. Court Gives Davido 21 Days to Answer Copyright Lawsuit Over Alleged Song Theft
Nigerian music superstar David ‘Davido’ Adeleke has been given 21 days by a U.S. federal court in Manhattan to respond to a copyright lawsuit accusing him of stealing a song.
The lawsuit, filed on April 4, was brought by four Nigerian artists — Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru. They claim Davido copied elements from their 2022 track Work to create his 2024 song Strawberry on Ice.
Also named in the lawsuit are Sierra Leonean artist Emmerson (Emmerson Amidu Bockarie), who features on the track, as well as Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records — the label that released the song.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs say they originally sent Work to Davido in January 2022 in hopes of collaborating. But instead of working with them, they allege Davido gave the track to Emmerson, who then used parts of it — including vocals and instrumentals — without permission to create Strawberry on Ice.
The group claims they spent months trying to resolve the issue privately, and that Davido eventually agreed to a settlement on March 14, 2025. The terms reportedly included a $45,000 payout and royalty splits: 40% of the songwriting rights and 20% of the recording rights. However, they say Davido failed to follow through by the March 24 deadline.
Now, the artists are seeking $150,000 in damages and official recognition of their stake in the song — the same 40% composition and 20% recording rights. They’re also asking the court to prevent Davido and his team from continuing to use the track or repeating similar actions in the future.
As of now, Davido hasn’t made any public comments about the case. Wynn Records also declined to respond when reached by Peoples Gazette.