The Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Nicholas Aisu issued the orders on Wednesday following a request by Muhangi's lawyer, Robert Rutaro, to allow his client to resolve the dispute outside court.
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Courtsey image of Bebe Cool
The Kampala City Hall Court has ordered comedian Alex Muhangi and Moses Ssali, commonly known as Bebe Cool to settle their copyright infringement dispute out of court. The Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Nicholas Aisu issued the orders on Wednesday following a request by Muhangi's lawyer, Robert Rutaro, to allow his client to resolve the dispute outside court.
Muhangi was present, but Bebe Cool did not attend the proceedings. The dispute centers on allegations that Muhangi distributed Bebe Cool's musical performances on YouTube without permission. The musician claims that Muhangi uploaded 15 contentious video links between December 2017 and December 2024, making them publicly available and allowing users to extract hard copies.
In a supporting affidavit before the court, Detective Assistant Inspector of Police Ricky Wasswa Baliruno states, "I am a male adult Ugandan of sound mind and a police officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Kira Road Police Station." He confirms that he has been assigned the case, with Moses Ssali alias Bebe Cool as the complainant and Alex Muhangi alias Alex Muhangi Comedian as the suspect.
Wasswa further states that Bebe Cool informed him that, between December 2017 and December 2024, Muhangi distributed or made available his musical videos on a YouTube channel without authorization. The detective also asserts that the suspect "broadcasted the musical performance videos on NTV Uganda, making them available for the public to view, and directly or indirectly distributed the musical performance videos, making them available for the public to extract hard copies."
He further swears: "That I swear this affidavit in support of an application to secure a court order, to order to access, inspect, retrieve, examine and analyze the content in links marked as exhibits 1 to 15 to determine whether the videos were uploaded on the YouTube channel alexmuhagicomedian?si=BJJqCFJ0tZJPcBzg..."
Court records indicate that the police want to verify the total number of views, comments, and upload dates for each of the 15 links to aid investigations.
Bebe Cool has requested the court to allow access, examination, and analysis of Muhangi's YouTube channel to determine if copyright infringement occurred, in line with the Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act Cap 222.
Aisu gave Muhangi and Bebe Cool until April 1, 2025, to reach an out-of-court settlement and report on their progress.
If they fail to do so, the case will proceed to a full hearing. Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has in the past encouraged dispute resolution through reconciliation, mediation, and arbitration, arguing that it is faster, cost-effective, and reduces the backlog of cases in the court system while helping parties find mutually beneficial solutions.
