Sheebah's music rights battle heads to Court
TNS was given 14 days from receipt to cease all use, distribution, and monetization of her music and to take down all such works from platforms under their control.
Courtesy photo
The legal clash over Sheebah Karungi's music began on 9 July 2025, when SM & Co. Advocates, acting on behalf of the Ugandan artist, delivered a formal legal notice to Jeff Kiwanuka , Director of Team No Sleep (TNS) Entertainment in Kampala.
Signed by lawyer Ian Mutibwa, the letter demanded the immediate cessation of what it termed the "unauthorised exploitation" of Sheebah's musical works. It stated that TNS Entertainment had continued to distribute, monetize, and exploit her music across digital platforms without any contractual basis or authorisation, despite several prior warnings from Sheebah and her representatives.
The advocates made it clear that Sheebah is the author and sole owner of the copyright to all her musical works and retains full and exclusive rights, making any continued use by TNS a direct infringement of her intellectual property.
TNS was given 14 days from receipt to cease all use, distribution, and monetization of her music and to take down all such works from platforms under their control. The letter warned that if TNS failed to comply, SM & Co. Advocates had instructions to immediately file suit for copyright enforcement.
That warning evolved into active litigation by April 2026.
Team No Sleep Entertainment Limited filed Civil Suit No. 0077 of 2026 in the High Court of Uganda, Commercial Division, naming Sheebah Karungi Samali and Ziiki Holdings PVT Limited as defendants.
The court issued a Summons for Directions under Order XIA of the Civil Procedure Rules, signed by the Deputy Registrar on 16 April 2026. The summons orders all parties to appear before the learned registrar on 29 April 2026 at 11:30 AM for directions.
At that hearing, the court will issue orders requiring the parties to file a joint scheduling memorandum and direct both the plaintiff and defendants to file their trial bundles and witness statements by dates to be fixed. The matter will then be placed before a trial judge for a scheduling conference within 45 days, unless the period is extended.
What began as Sheebah's legal demand to stop TNS from profiting off her catalogue has now become a contested commercial suit, with TNS as plaintiff, over the control, ownership, and commercial rights to her music.