The High Court of Uganda has delivered their ruling against the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) in a dispute over the “Nyege Nyege International Music Festival” brand. The court found that URSB acted illegally and irrationally when it rejected Afroludo Limited’s trademark application and instead allowed a rival business name to be registered in bad faith.Justice Ssekaana Musa, who presided over the case, criticized URSB for its flawed reasoning in rejecting Afroludo’s trademark application. The Bureau had argued that “Nyege Nyege” was inappropriate for trademark registration because, in Kiswahili slang, it refers to sexual arousal. However, the court found this justification misguided, superficial, and culturally insensitive.The ruling stated that the meaning of “Nyege Nyege” should have been analyzed within the local linguistic and cultural context, rather than relying on an online slang definition. In Lusoga and Luganda—the dominant languages in the festival’s home region—the term means an “irresistible urge to dance and celebrate.”To rectify the situation, the High Court issued several orders:1. Deregistration of Rival Business Name: URSB was directed to immediately deregister the business name “Nyege Nyege Music Festival,” which had been registered in bad faith by Nyakueizabo.2. Trademark Rights Granted to Afroludo Limited: The court ordered that Afroludo’s trademark application be approved and officially registered, securing their legal ownership of the festival brand.3. Nyakueizabo and his agents were barred from using or making any claims over the “Nyege Nyege Music Festival” name to prevent further disputes.While the court ruled in Afroludo’s favor regarding the trademark, it declined to officially declare the company as the owner of the business name “Nyege Nyege International Music Festival,” as Afroludo had never applied for it separately.
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