Spoken Priestess first launched Afri Sauti Karaoke during the lockdown in 2020, while Milk Stout only launched the campaign this year.
DJ and creative entrepreneur Spoken Priestess has filed an injunction against Castle Milk Stout, alleging that the brand infringes the intellectual property rights of her karaoke show concept.
The Spoken Priestess, whose real name is Precious Nkadimen, first launched Afri Sauti Karaoke during the 2020 lockdown when she asked a few friends to send her videos of them singing African songs to celebrate Africa Month.
Four years later, Afrissauti Karaoke has grown into a fully-fledged monthly event that brings African songs to the stage at selected venues on the first Friday of every month.
Last month, the alcohol brand launched the Africa Karaoke Street Challenge, which is eerily similar to Spokenpriestess' karaoke concept.
Spoken-Priestess said she first found out about the brand's campaign in late August when followers of the event thought she was working with the beer brand.
“I found an invitation for an event with the same name and a similar description to my job,” Spoken-Priestess said. The Citizen.
I would like to raise awareness of the following facts: Castle Milk Stout The latest campaign of #AfricanKaraokeis a replica of the African Karaoke event I have been working on since 2020.
Threads 🧵
Please RT and help. pic.twitter.com/1fOOLOenbc— SPOKENPRIESTESS 🐞 (@spokenpriestess) September 9, 2024
“Followers of the ‘Afri Sauti Karaoke’ event, who knew that we had also used and continue to use the name ‘Afri Karaoke’, enquired whether I was in partnership with Milk Stout to host the event.”
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Karaoke Similarities
The description used by Castle Milk Stout is worded similarly to that of Spokenpriestess.
“We want to sing karaoke in our mother tongue! In the language of our forefathers and ancestors. We want to belt out the lyrics of our favourite colloquialisms, isms and slang,” explains Afri Sauti Karaoke.
Spoken Priestess reached out to the brand in early September, but the brand only responded a week later, likely following pressure on social media.
“They deny any intellectual property infringement in a letter we received from their legal manager (written by their legal director) in response to our letter outlining the differences between my concept and their campaign,” Spoken-Priestes said.
The brand has yet to respond to questions sent by the publication.
Are you struggling to sing the lyrics to traditional songs? Tune in to Metro FM from 23 to 31 August. #AfricanKaraoke📻 Every Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 3pm we'll learn and sing some of our favorite traditional songs. Join in for a chance to win some awesome prizes. pic.twitter.com/EP9ZpK0Z2M
— Castle Milk Stout (@CastleMilkStout) August 24, 2024
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Owner of Afrissauti Karaoke
Afri-Sauti Karaoke is independently created by Spokenpriestess and brought to life in partnership with her business partner, Mpho Mfolo.
The DJ first registered his idea with the Trademark Registrar and received confirmation from the Trademark Examiner's Office in February this year.
“So, using Milk Stout would dilute our brand and the effort we have put into building it as our followers associate the name 'Africa Karaoke' with what we do,” Spoken-Priestes said.
“We have addressed this matter from a legal perspective from the beginning, and we have issued injunctive relief and will continue to explore other options available to us to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights.”
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Brand Disconnect
Castle Milk Stout has positioned itself as a proudly non-performative African brand through campaigns such as “Black Conversations,” in which prominent Black people have authentic conversations about the Black experience.
Who should bring what to the dating table? Is there an underlying expectation of something in return in dating?
What's your opinion? #BlackConversation pic.twitter.com/YwNBowdJnC
— Castle Milk Stout (@CastleMilkStout) July 11, 2024
The brand, in collaboration with the Council of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA), hosted a symposium aimed at amplifying calls for Ancestors' Day to be officially recognised in the national calendar.
Their Africa Karaoke Street Challenge campaign has an uncanny resemblance to the imagery of black women, but it contradicts the ideals the brand claims to uphold.
“There is certainly a disconnect there, which is unfortunate because Castle Milk Stout and its agents are responsible for the campaigning efforts.”
So the fact that they didn't consider the fundamental principles that they stand for as a brand is a major flaw in their process,” Spoken-Priestes said.
She said that if the brand had approached her or responded to her messages on social media about collaborating because their brands were aligned, the conversation would have been different.
Ukhlala ezilalini or edolophini means that there are many different ways to engage with culture. Social media has an impact, how do you think this impacts culture? #BlackConversation pic.twitter.com/55D9T2Lfoa
— Castle Milk Stout (@CastleMilkStout) July 4, 2024
“MilkStout had the opportunity to leapfrog a brand founded and led by an African woman through their investment, but sadly that didn't happen,” the entrepreneur said.
Spoken-Priestess said she has not been deterred by the debacle, but rather sees it as an opportunity.
“This could have been avoided if due diligence had been done. It was completely unnecessary for me to put myself in this situation,” she said.
“But I do see an opportunity for creative people to start a broader conversation about intellectual property and copyright, and how we can all protect ourselves and our work. I'm a big supporter of education in the creative industries, so it's ironic to be at the centre of a larger lesson, and perhaps a sign that I too am part of a larger lesson for others.”
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