Kenya actress, YouTuber and content creator Foi Wambui remains entangled in a high-profile copyright case after the High Court rejected her application to be removed from a lawsuit involving Chinese smartphone maker Oppo.
The case derives from a commercial promoting Oppo’s Reno 12 5G smartphone in August 2024, which included sharing the promotional video on her social media platforms.
The video featured the song “Beta” by Kenyan musician Joseph Mwaura Mutoriah, who alleges that his composition was used without authorization, specifically without a synchronization license, which is required when copyrighted music is combined with visual content for commercial purposes.
The video was live for six days before being deleted by both Wambui and Oppo, an act Mutoriah’s lawyer argues amount to “an admission of guilt.”
The High Court ruled that the creator of the promotional video, Wambui remains a party to the suit. The court emphasized that influencers who produce branded content carry responsibility for ensuring compliance with copyright law.
During its release in 2024, the deal payment was Ksh 600,000, with Wambui having more than 323,000 followers on Instagram and 265,000 on TikTok, giving the campaign a sizable digital audience.
