Simbisa Brands’ fast food outlets Simbisa Brands’ fast food outlets However, ZIMURA failed to prove the amount of damages it claimed, leading the court to absolve Simbisa of liability for the US$86,719 it was being sued for. ZIMURA had argued that between November 2023 and October 2024, Simbisa played music by local and international artists under its stable without paying royalties. Simbisa countered that it was licensed by ZICCO, another registered collecting society, and therefore believed it was compliant.
The court also criticised ZIMURA’s damages claim, saying it was improperly calculated as if it were simply unpaid licence fees. “Works of music by different artists cannot possibly have the same value … the plaintiff has failed to prove the amount of its claim,” the judge ruled. In the end, the court declared that ZICCO has no authority to license ZIMURA’s repertoire, but each party had partial success: Simbisa was cleared of paying damages, while ZICCO was ordered to pay ZIMURA’s costs.
Source: ZimLive – https://www.zimlive.com/zimura-fails-in-87k-copyright-claim-against-fast-food-giant-simbisa/
