Nigeria: Unusual Mobil(e) patent case

THISDAY ONLINE reports that "the case of UWEMEDIMO AND COMMANDCLEM V MOBIL PRODUCING UNLIMITED (FHC/UY/CS/47/2003) recently decided by Olotu J. of the Federal High Court, Uyo is remarkable in more ways than one. Firstly, that court moved from Uyo to continue proceedings, sitting in New York. The move, at Mobil’s request, was to enable the court take the testimony of two of their witnesses who were octogenarians and in ill health. Secondly, it was a case in which the stakes were high - a colossal sum of money (over N500 billion) was involved. Dr. Tony Ukam prosecuted the Plaintiffs’ case which was robustly defended by Dr. Eyimofe Atake, SAN. At the end of the day, the Plaintiffs lost. STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN and KOLADE OLAWUNNI, in separate articles, review the case and raise posers as it appears to have made history by being the first such one in which a Nigerian court rose and moved en masse to a foreign country to continue proceedings."

"In a sensational judgment delivered by the Honourable Justice G. K. Olotu of the Federal High Court Uyo sitting in rather unusual circumstances and at a rather unusual venue, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited as Defendant were relieved to have had a multi-million dollar suit brought against them by the Plaintiffs, the registered owners of a paint patent dismissed in its entirety." (THISDAY ONLINE)