Bayethe: Nomcebo Zikode Battles With Open Mic
The continuing dispute between Nomcebo Zikode and Open Mic Records is still going on since the record company is being sued in South Africa's High Court for forcibly deleting her song “Bayethe” with Zakes Bantwini from Spotify the day it was nominated for a Grammy.
The actions by Nomcebo Zikode follow a letter from Open Mic to Spotify, sent through legal counsel, requesting that “Bayethe” be removed for violating its intellectual property. Nomcebo Zikode is opposing to this, claiming that Open Mic has no intellectual property rights over the song.
“The take-down notice and the conduct of the respondent as set out below constitute: an injurious falsehood, an unlawful and intentional interference with my and the second applicant's contractual and/or property rights and unlawful competition,” Nomcebo Zikode says in the court documents.
Nomcebo Zikode also stated that she has suffered huge damages which will be difficult, if not impossible, to quantify as a result of the actions of Open Mic.
“As a result of the recording being removed from Spotify, and potentially from other platforms of which I am unaware, the second applicant and I have suffered and stand to suffer further harm, the extent of which will be difficult, if not impossible, to quantify.” She said.
