The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has issued a summons for Nigerian superstar David ‘Davido’ Adeleke, requiring him to appear within 21 days to address allegations of intellectual property theft.
The lawsuit, filed by four Nigerian artistes—Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru—claims that Davido unlawfully used their 2022 song Work to create his 2024 hit track Strawberry on Ice without authorisation.
The legal dispute traces back to January 2022, when the plaintiffs allegedly shared a demo of Work with Davido in hopes of collaborating.
However, they claim he later incorporated elements of their song into Strawberry on Ice, a track featuring Sierra Leonean artist Emmerson Amidu Bockarie.
Other defendants include Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records, the label responsible for publishing and distributing the track.
Court documents reveal that after months of negotiation, a settlement agreement was reached on March 14, 2025.
Davido reportedly agreed to pay $45,000 and grant the plaintiffs 40 per cent of composition royalties and 20 per cent of sound recording royalties for Strawberry on Ice.
However, the plaintiffs allege he failed to meet the March 24 payment deadline, prompting them to file suit on April 4.
The plaintiffs are seeking $150,000 in damages, transfer of 40 per cent compositional copyright and 20 per cent sound recording copyright for Strawberry on Ice, and an injunction to prevent further copyright infringement.
On April 4, the plaintiffs filed suit, seeking a court ruling that Davido and co-defendants infringed their intellectual property, $150,000 in damages, transfer of 40 per cent compositional copyright and 20 per cent sound recording copyright for Strawberry on Ice and an injunction preventing further copyright infringement.
