Court orders Black Market Records to cough Shs150m to Bruno K for copyright infringement

Kampala, Uganda:- Following a protracted four-year legal battle, musician Bruno K (real name John Robert Kiggundu) finally has a reason to smile after court ordered his former bosses, Black Market Records (BMR) to pay him UGX 150 million in damages for infringing on his copyright.

In a final judgment issued on April 1, 2025, the Commercial Court awarded Bruno K UGX 100 million in general damages and UGX 30 million in aggravated damages. Additionally, the court granted him over UGX 20 million due from a counterclaim, bringing the total to approximately UGX 150 million.

The ruling also includes a permanent injunction prohibiting Black Market Records from interfering with Bruno K’s copyrights or falsely claiming ownership of his music. Should the label fail to comply with the ruling, a 14% annual interest rate will be applied from the date of the judgment.

Bruno K, who filed the case in 2022, had signed a one-year exclusive recording artist agreement with Black Market Records on May 12, 2020. Under the contract, the label was to finance the production of his music in exchange for exclusive copyright.

However, Bruno K claimed he only recorded one song under the agreement and chose not to renew the contract when it expired in May 2021.

In November 2022, Bruno K took the matter to court, accusing Black Market Records of falsely claiming ownership of his music on YouTube. Evidence presented included correspondence from YouTube indicating repeated copyright claims by the label against his work.

Following the court’s decision and his landmark victory, Bruno K took to social media to express gratitude to his legal team, led by lawyers Ferdinand Ius and Bwowe Ivan, as well as UNMF President Eddy Kenzo, for their support throughout the case.

“Black Market has been ordered by the judge to pay me 130 million shillings for damages. I want to thank the president of UNMF, Eddy Kenzo, and his entire cabinet, my lawyers @FERDINANDIUS & @BwoweIvan, and the whole KAA team,” Bruno K posted.