Jerusalema Challenge: Is this just a dance or an advert? If the latter, you PAY

Entertainment lawyer Dumisani Motsamai says payment for synchronisation is pretty normal within the laws governing copyright.

The "Jerusalema Challenge" was one of the things to shed a positive light on 2020. Since MasterKG and Nomcebo Zikode's song was released, people all over the world took part in the dance challenge.

President Cyril Ramaphosa encouraged us to do. Portugal and Juventus soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo did it too, it created a feelgood sense of community.

Now record company Warner, with which MatserKG is under contract, has demanded licence fees for use of the song in some of the videos.

Dumisani Motsamai, Entertainment lawyer

Warner has been licensing a number of corporates for the use of the song and the challenge, where the challenge was clearly used in what could be categorised as a synchronisation, in other words, an advert. That's pretty normal within the laws governing copyright.

Dumisani Motsamai, Entertainment lawyer

If you go to YouTube and look at some of these challenges, there are a handful of companies that took it too far, in other words, while doing the challenge, they went out of their way to make sure that we know who they are, we see their warehouses, we see how they package their brands, we see what is involved in their daily operations and when you drill deeper into it you can see that this was just an advert.

Dumisani Motsamai, Entertainment lawyer

Listen below for the full interview...

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