The singer of the popular “Defe Defe” song has expressed shock at the approach used by Team Eternity in addressing issues about copyright.
Kwame Mickey who is the producer of the original “Defe Defe” song asked Team Eternity to do what was right by meeting him and compensating him.
He intends to drag the issue because to him they sampled parts of a song he produced in the past.
Speaking on the issue for the first time, Mabel Tiwaa Rockson Of Hallelujah Voices stated she was not pleased with the approach taken by Team Eternity on the matter.
“I heard my children singing the song and I thought they were the ones who had coined something like that. However, it turned out a group had sung it. I wanted to do a remix but I had to hold on because their song was out there and was doing so well.”
Mabel Tiwaa Rockson
She indicated that she enjoyed their song when she heard it and thought they should have approached her earlier because it would have settled the matters more easily than it is now.
“It was later Kwame Mickey reached out and said he had called out team eternity on social media and that if he had told us, we would have told him to give it to God but he would not take that approach.
“So they called my husband and told him that we are Christians and so we should treat it as Christians and not like the people who sing hiplife. I felt offended when my husband told me about what they said.”
Mabel Tiwaa Rockson
YouTube Asked to Mute Team Eternity’s Defe Defe Over Copyright
OFM Computer World and Debrich Group of Companies, a multinational entity with operations in Ghana, Nigeria, and Europe, acting on behalf of Kwame Mickey, served Team Eternity Ghana with a formal legal notice accusing them of copyright infringement.
The letter alleges that Team Eternity Ghana illegally manipulated and edited the original track to incorporate it into their work without obtaining the necessary permissions from the copyright holders.
According to Debrich Group’s analyst and optimizer, this unauthorized editing and use of the original track constitute a clear case of copyright infringement.
As a result, OFM Computer World, acting on behalf of the copyright owners, has formally requested that YouTube remove the video to prevent further unauthorized use and public exposure, and to protect the rights of the original creators.
The letter, signed under penalty of false statement by a representative of Debrich Group, categorically states that the music sampling used by Team Eternity Ghana was neither authorized by the copyright owner nor did it meet legal standards.
The notice includes a link to the original “Defe Defe” track by Hallelujah Voices, allowing recipients to compare the two works and understand the basis of the infringement claim.
The letter asserted that the music group often sampled songs by other musicians without the owners’ permission.
It also indicates that Debrich Group is prepared to pursue legal action in the courts of Accra, Ghana, to protect the rights of their client, should the matter not be resolved amicably.
In a Facebook post, Kwame Mickey, the executive producer for Hallelujah Voices’ “Defe Defe”, alleged that Team Eternity Ghana has infringed on his copyright by using the “Defe Defe” line for their new hit song.
Although structurally, the rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases of the two lines are different, Kwame Mickey is making a case for the similarities in the lyrical content.
The “Defe Defe” song performed by Hallelujah Voices, was written by Osuani Afrifa and executively produced by Kwame Mickey for Kaakyire Music Productions.
Kwame Mickey accuses Team Eternity of stealing the hit song “Defe Defe” released 20 years ago.
The recent copyright issue has sparked a lot of debate. While some argue that Team Eternity’s “Defe Defe” is different from Hallelujah Voices’ song, others contend that the mere fact that the two lines are the same constitutes copyright infringement.
Meanwhile, Team Eternity is yet to officially respond to the copyright allegations.
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