Record producer, techno-geek and media personality Kwabena ‘Spiky’ Nkrumah has lamented how burdensome it has been taking on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over their illegal use of his intellectual property (IP) for their 2018 awards ceremony.

On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, the Commercial Court 7, Accra, ruled in Spiky’s favour with presiding judge Justice Emmanuel Loddoh awarding him a cedi equivalent of US$250,000 in damages, apart from a legal cost of GHS40,000 against CAF.

On Monday, February 3, 2025, Spiky wrote on Facebook recalling: “The battle was long, exhausting, and expensive. Even after the judgment, I had to cough up a five-figure sum just for execution... mind you, I hadn’t even received the judgment itself yet, but the bills kept rolling in.”

He then informed his followers CAF had now appealed, noting the awarded amount was “too much”.

Spiky said this round was going to be more expensive than before, adding he had been warned to drop the charges and “walk away” because “CAF will bleed me dry financially”.

He noted his resolve to not allow “a big corporation bully me,” and considered some actions to increase his financial stamina for the legal battles ahead.

However, in a soliloquy he wondered if this was a wise way to spend the funds available to him, seeing as he was not “exactly drowning in wealth”.

Read more below:

Musings in the AM…

Last July, I won a judgment against CAF for using my soundtrack at the CAF Awards without my permission. Victory, right? Not quite.

The battle was long, exhausting, and expensive. Even after the judgment, I had to cough up a five-figure sum just for execution... mind you, I hadn’t even received the judgment itself yet, but the bills kept rolling in.

Now, I just got word that CAF has appealed. Their argument? The amount awarded is "too much." So, back to court, we go. Only this time, it's even more EXPENSIVE!

Everyone I've talked to – older, wiser heads – advises me to walk away. They say CAF will bleed me dry financially, drag the process out, and appeal all the way to the Supreme Court if they lose again.

For someone like me, who isn’t exactly drowning in wealth, who still dreams of affording the luxuries I desire, I have to ask myself: Is this worth it?

Why not take that money and finish my house?

Why not invest in my business, where at least I’m guaranteed returns?

But then another thought hits me: This is my intellectual property.

Why should I let a big corporation bully me just because they have deeper pockets, a team of lawyers, and more power?

I won’t lie... I'm teetering on the edge of giving up.

But if not for my own finances, I would fight for every small creator who gets trampled by corporations that could have easily settled this out of court.

Instead, they choose to drag me through the legal trenches, hoping I’ll get exhausted and quit.

Maybe I should liquidate some assets.

Maybe I should sell my car.

Maybe I should see this through to the end.

Because if I don’t stand up for myself, who will?