…as both comedians claim ownership of the concept.

By Francis Chipalo@NewAge News

RENOWNED comedian Bob Nkosha has threatened to take legal action against his colleague Aubrey Luo who has also dared the latter of being sued over the ownership of copyright of one comedy series ‘Shi Mumbi’ which has since stopped airing on Zambezi Magic after Bob claimed ownership of the original concept.

Bob explains that he is the author of the work in the said television show as it is based on his ideas as expressed in productions which he did in 2009 featuring Aubrey Luo and Caristus Malunga as ‘Shi Mumbi’ and ‘Kondowe’ the landlord respectively.

Bob alias Dorika said Shi Mumbi was his brainchild but was replaced with ShiMambwe because of sensitive issues relating to a well-known person on the Copperbelt named Shi Mumbi.

He said in an interview that eight episodes of Shi Mambwe were done with the said duo.

Bob further said no person obtained permission from him to use his original ideas, concepts and productions, adding that Shi Mumbi was therefore in violation of copyright and an unlawful deprivation of his hard work.

Shi Mumbi which hit the screens on Zambezi Magic on 3rd April 2020 has since been removed after Bob through Suba Tafeni and Associates wrote to Multichoice Zambia Limited to stop airing it as it was an infringement of copyright.

“Even what Aubrey has been showing on Facebook is wrong because Shi Mumbi is my idea,” Bob said.

He added that efforts to engage Aubrey and the producers of Shi Mumbi Dope Productions to resolve the matter failed and further said that he had no choice but to take legal action against Aubrey for infringement of his copyright.

He has also written to National Association of Media Arts (NAMA) complaining that Shi Mumbi was an infringement of his copyright as it was based on productions done in 2009.

But Aubrey alias Shi Mumbi told NewAge that in the same year 2009, the group started recording Shi Mambwe after entering into a partnership with Zamcom Studios with the idea of selling the product to ZNBC.

He said Zamcom was to get 60% and the group 40% had ZNBC bought the project but added that the deal with ZNBC did not materialize after Bob allegedly went to ZNBC with a fee which was beyond the public service broadcaster’s budget.

Aubrey said that at that time, the show was a pilot project, adding that the relationship between him and Bob had gone sour.

“In 2014, I started doing my own thing with the girls at Lusaka Play House and we called it Shi Mumbi and in 2015, we took it to social media,” said Aubrey.

“Bob used to call me asking if we can perform Shi Mumbi alongside Dorika but I have been refusing and all that time he never said Shi Mumbi was his concept but he didn’t but now that Shi Mumbi has gone on a bigger platform, he wants to reap where he didn’t sow,” Aubrey said.

Aubrey further said Bob was merely claiming that Shi Mumbi was his idea.

“There is nowhere where you can patent an idea because even I am also claiming that it is my idea and I am not going to give him anything,” he said.

“He even wrote to Zambezi Magic without copying the letter to me because I am the subject so as far as I am concerned, I don’t know anything.

Let him go ahead and take legal action because I am not scared if that’s what he thinks,” he added.