{"id":161180,"date":"2024-03-12T04:15:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T04:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/03\/12\/willis-raburu-warns-others-against-bazu-use-as-airtel-fined-ksh-6-5m-for-trademark-infringement\/"},"modified":"2024-03-12T04:15:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T04:15:58","slug":"willis-raburu-warns-others-against-bazu-use-as-airtel-fined-ksh-6-5m-for-trademark-infringement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/03\/12\/willis-raburu-warns-others-against-bazu-use-as-airtel-fined-ksh-6-5m-for-trademark-infringement\/","title":{"rendered":"Willis Raburu Warns Others Against &#8216;Bazu&#8217; Use as Airtel Fined Ksh.6.5m for Trademark Infringement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-308805\" alt=\"\" width=\"781\" height=\"406\"  data-lazy- src=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bazuraburu.jpg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-308805\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bazuraburu.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"781\" height=\"406\"  \/>Media personality Willis Raburu has welcomed a court ruling requiring Airtel Kenya to pay him Kes.6.5 million for unauthorized use of his trademark \u2018Bazu.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>On June 12, 2022, the Director of Digital Services and Innovations at Cape Media filed a court case against the telco, asserting that he holds exclusive rights to use \u2018Bazu\u2019 in connection with goods or services classified under \u2018advertising and telecommunications services\u2019 as per the International Classification of Goods and Services.<\/p>\n<p>Despite having registered the trademark on April 13, 2021, under No. 116744, Raburu submitted that Airtel used Bazu to advertise internet bundles.<\/p>\n<p>Airtel Kenya defended itself by arguing that Raburu\u2019s intention was merely quick enrichment, seeking a quiet settlement. They argued that the term \u2018Bazu\u2019 had been in use by other parties before the registration date, stating that in cases of continuous use by various third parties, exclusive rights cannot be granted.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Airtel Kenya submitted that Raburu did not originally create the term, as it is a well-known slang in the local Sheng language.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Court Ruling<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>In a ruling, Chief Magistrate Rawlings Musiega, sitting at the Milimani Commercial Court, determined that Airtel Kenya had indeed used the \u2018Bazu\u2019 trademark to promote one of their internet bundle products.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, Magistrate Musiega issued a restraining order, prohibiting Airtel from using the trademark in any material published on broadcast media or anything similar to the trademark.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, he mandated Airtel to pay Kes.5 million in special damages and an additional Kes.1.5 million in general damages.<\/p>\n<p>The court at the same time granted Airtel Kenya a 45-day stay of execution or the option to file an appeal within the same period.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Willis Raburu released a statement in response to the ruling, warning others of similar consequences should they use \u2018Bazu\u2019 without his consent.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI express my gratitude for the recent judgment delivered by Hon. Rawlings Museiga in the magistrates court, which holds Airtel Kenya accountable for infringing on my registered trademark \u2018BAZU\u2019. This ruling sets a crucial precedent for upholding intellectual property and copyright rights in the future,\u201d<\/em> Raburu said on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>He added: <em>\u201cWhile we acknowledge Airtel Kenya as a respected brand and business, it is imperative for me to safeguard my own brand and name under \u2018BAZU\u2019 trademark. The process has been guided by my lawyer, Victor Orandi, from Matthew and Partners Advocates, for which I am thankful for their unwavering support and guidance throughout this journey.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Raburu further expressed his gratitude to God for the \u2018favorable\u2019 court ruling, emphasizing that intellectual property must always be respected.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cRespect for intellectual property is paramount, and those using the name BAZU without authority will face similar consequences, as legal notices have already been served. I extend my gratitude to God for this favorable outcome. Success is reflected in actions, and I am grateful for the resolution of this matter.\u201d<\/em> Raburu concluded his statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Media personality Willis Raburu has welcomed a court ruling requiring Airtel Kenya to pay him Kes.6.5 million for unauthorized use of his trademark \u2018Bazu.\u2019 On June 12, 2022, the Director of Digital Services and Innovations at Cape Media filed a court case against the telco, asserting that he holds exclusive rights to use \u2018Bazu\u2019 in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-kenya-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Willis Raburu Warns Others Against &#039;Bazu&#039; 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