Court fines MTN Nigeria N840 Million for trademark infringement

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered MTN Nigeria Communications Limited to pay N840 million in damages for infringing on the trademark “WEBPLUS,” owned by Citilink Accesscorp Limited.

Justice Akintayo Aluko delivered the ruling in a suit marked HC/L/CS/1124/2014, stating that MTN’s use of “MTN WEBPLUS” or “MTN WEB+” unlawfully mimicked Citilink’s legally registered trademark.

The court awarded N70 million in annual damages covering losses from 2014 to 2025 and imposed a 15% per annum interest on the judgment sum until fully paid.

Citilink filed the lawsuit on July 17, 2024, accusing MTN of unauthorized usage of its trademark, which was first registered in 2001 and renewed in 2014.

The plaintiff argued that MTN’s use of “WEBPLUS” misled the public and diluted its brand identity.

MTN, in its defense, claimed it applied for the “MTN WEBPLUS” name in 2012 when Citilink’s trademark registration had lapsed.

The telecom giant also challenged the court’s jurisdiction, citing a pending case at the Trademark Tribunal.

However, Justice Aluko rejected MTN’s arguments, upheld Citilink’s claims, and issued a perpetual injunction preventing MTN from using the disputed trademark.

The court, however, declined some of Citilink’s demands, including the seizure and destruction of MTN’s servers.