Princes Leisure Ltd ordered to pay John Boko Sh200 million
What you need to know:
- The player had asked the court to order the company to pay him Sh1 billion as compensation, stating that it used his image without his authorization and to pay him a royalty of 25 percent for the entire time it was used.
Dar es Salaam. The High Court has ordered the betting company Princes Leisure (T) Ltd to pay Simba SC player John Raphael Boko, Sh200 million for using his image in a commercial without his consent.
The judgement was given on August 31, 2023, by Judge Irvin Mugeta of the High Court (Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry).
The player had asked the court to order the company to pay him Sh1 billion as compensation, stating that it used his image without his authorization and to pay him a royalty of 25 percent for the entire time it was used.
The advertisement with a picture of Boko was posted on the company's Instagram page between November 18, 2021 to December 1, 2021 and the message was read as;
"The NBC League fun continues today with 3 matches. The biggest one is Simba who are hosted by Ruvu Shooting in Mwanza at the CCM Kirumba Stadium. Money Days are back,” reads a post that was seen within and outside of Tanzania.
Boko, who was represented by lawyers Innocent Michael and Gadi Kabele, argued that by the company using his picture meant that he had breached his contract with Simba and that the team was about to take disciplinary action against him.
The case which was filed in 2022 was heard on one side (ex parte) after the respondent failed to submit his defense in writings within the time limit according to the law.
The case was heard by Judge Mugeta on August 25, 2023 and the judgement was handed down on August 31 and a copy of the judgement was placed on the court's website (Tanzill) specifically for publishing decisions, rules and regulations for free online.
