South Africans Celebrate As Blaq Diamond Wins Legal Battle Against Ambitiouz Entertainment
Ambitiouz Entertainment, the controversial record label, could be facing more humiliation as Blaq Diamond, a music duo, has successfully obtained an interdict against the label and YouTube.
According to Sunday World, this legal action prevents the removal of their music from the video sharing site and other digital platforms. On the heels of this victory at the Johannesburg High Court, Jade Naidoo, the duo’s lawyer, revealed that she is also supporting Malome Vector, a hitmaker from Lesotho, in a similar legal battle against Ambitiouz Entertainment.
Former musicians associated with the record label, such as Malome Vector, Fifi Cooper, Intaba Yase Dubai, and Blaq Diamond, have exposed Ambitiouz Entertainment for their exploitative practices and their frustrating treatment of artists who have left the label.
The label’s actions included removing their music from streaming sites and claiming copyright ownership over their songs.
In October of last year, Blaq Diamond, comprised of Siphelele Dunywa and Ndumiso Mdletshe, took swift legal action by filing an urgent court application.
This move came in response to Ambitiouz Entertainment removing their popular song featuring Big Zulu from YouTube, asserting copyright ownership over the track.
The court judgment, which was handed down on Monday states:
“having read the papers filed on record, heard counsel and considered the matter, the following order is made; pending final determination of Part B attached to this application, any person or entity acting in concert with the respondents, are hereby interdicted from removing and or deleting the account of the applicants’ YouTube channel.
“That it be ordered that the second respondent be interdicted from raising any copyright/ownership dispute against works of the applicants with any other digital streaming platform (DSP) inclusive of the first respondent, Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, authored by the applicants from June 15 2022, pending final determination of Part B.”
Naidoo said the order was a big win for the group and for all other independent artists who have been exploited.
She said: “this is an industry game changer. This is for all musicians being exploited by record labels.” Ambitiouz Entertainment was also ordered to pay the costs of the legal case.