Kampala City Hall Court has permitted comedian Alex Muhangi to resolve his copyright dispute with musician Moses Ssali, popularly known as Bebe Cool, through an out-of-court settlement.

Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Nicholas Aisu granted the order on Wednesday following a request from Muhangi’s lawyer, Robert Rutaro, to allow his client to settle the matter outside court.

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While Muhangi was present for the proceedings, Bebe Cool was absent. The dispute arose over allegations that Muhangi distributed Bebe Cool’s musical performances on YouTube without authorization.

Bebe Cool claims that between December 2017 and December 2024, Muhangi uploaded 15 videos of his performances, making them publicly accessible and allowing viewers to extract copies.

In an affidavit submitted to the court, Detective Assistant Inspector of Police Ricky Wasswa Baliruno stated that the suspect broadcasted the musician’s performances on NTV Uganda and made them available for public viewing and distribution.

The affidavit further requests a court order to inspect, retrieve, and analyze the content in the 15 video links to determine whether they were uploaded to Muhangi’s YouTube channel, “alexmuhagicomedian.”

Court records indicate that police seek to verify the number of views, comments, and upload dates for each video as part of the investigation. Bebe Cool has requested court authorization to examine Muhangi’s YouTube channel for potential copyright infringement under the Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act, 2006 Cap 222.

Magistrate Aisu has given both parties until April 1, 2025, to reach an amicable settlement and report their progress. If they fail to do so, the case will proceed to a full hearing.

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has previously advocated for reconciliation, mediation, and arbitration as effective dispute resolution methods, emphasizing their speed, cost-effectiveness, and role in reducing the court system’s case backlog.

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