By Ladi Gbegi
Offset Communications Advisory Ltd has instituted legal proceedings against Qore Technologies Ltd at the Federal High Court in Lagos, claiming N50 million in damages over an alleged violation of its intellectual property rights.
According to court documents filed under suit number FHC/L/CS/1994/2025, Offset accused Qore of adopting portions of a communications proposal it submitted in December 2022 without entering into any formal agreement, giving credit, or obtaining proper authorization.
Offset explained that it had previously provided public relations services to Qore and was later asked to prepare a detailed communications strategy.
The proposal reportedly addressed key areas such as branding, employee engagement, and stakeholder relations.
The company alleged that Qore went ahead to implement parts of the submitted strategy—including branding ideas and internal communication plans—without compensating Offset or formalizing any contractual arrangement.
Offset stated that it discovered the alleged unauthorized use in April 2025 and subsequently notified Qore, but attempts to resolve the issue amicably did not yield any results.
As part of its claims, the firm is asking the court to declare Qore’s actions as copyright infringement, award N50 million in damages, grant N5 million for legal costs, impose a 29 percent post-judgment interest rate, and issue a permanent injunction to stop further use of its materials.
The lawsuit was filed on September 29, 2025, by legal representatives Jimoh Bamigbola and Omobolaji Idris.
In response, Qore Technologies denied all allegations, asserting that its engagement with Offset was limited to specific, short-term public relations tasks for which full payment had been made.
Qore further argued that the materials cited by Offset are not eligible for copyright protection, describing them as standard industry practices widely used in corporate communications.
The company also maintained that its branding and communication frameworks were independently developed, either internally or with the assistance of consultants, and that no binding agreement existed concerning the proposal in question.
Additionally, Qore challenged the validity of the suit, claiming it presents no legitimate cause of action and questioning the court’s authority to hear the matter.
The firm also filed a counterclaim, seeking N6.35 million to cover legal expenses incurred in defending the case, along with an additional N2 million in costs.
During the most recent court session on March 23, 2026, both parties adopted their filings, after which the matter was adjourned to June 22, 2026, for continuation.
The outcome of the case is anticipated to clarify legal boundaries around copyright protection in Nigeria’s communications and public relations sector, particularly regarding ownership and usage rights of proposals and business ideas.
