-‘We own the logo’, the party says
-But she remains adamant


By Alhaji bature Iddrisu

The leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has formally responded to the wife of party’s founder, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings’ claim to the party’s logo.

Impeccable information available to The Al-Hajj indicates that after a thorough and lengthy evaluation by a crack team of NDC lawyers of an earlier correspondence from lawyers of the former first lady laying ownership of the NDC logo, the party officially wrote back to Nana Konadu, unequivocally and unambiguously rebutting her argument that, she is the bonafide owner of the party’s logo.

In a strongly-worded reaction to Nana Konadu’s assertions that she is the owner of the party logo, lawyers for the NDC reminded the former first lady that the logo in question is the property of the party, which has been legally registered with the Electoral Commission since 1992 as provided by the Political Parties Law and therefore cannot be the property of one person as she had alluded to.

According to the erudite lawyers’ communication to Nana Konadu, who also happens to be the wife of the founder of the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings; she cannot lay claim to a paraphernalia that belongs to a registered and legally operating political party, in used for about 20 years, irrespective of her claim that she has registered the logo and therefore, makes her the copy right owner.

Nearly two weeks after the receipt of the letter from the National Democratic Congress, Nana Konadu has so far not reacted.

A source close to her told The Al-Hajj that “madam will not mind them, she is keeping her cards close to her chest, with all options opened, including, but not limited to heading to court at the last minute where it will hurt them (NDC) most.

However, when contacted by The Al-Hajj on this matter, a legal luminary averred that there is no way Nana Konadu can win an action in court against the National Democratic Congress over the ownership of the logo, adding that she cannot even use the courts to restrain the party from using the logo, going into 2012 elections..
According to the legal expert, who wants to remain anonymous, “the claim of ownership or authorship of the logo by the former first lady is legally untenable because the NDC is a better claimant of copyright protection than the former First Lady”.
The expert argued that even if Konadu has any rights at all, “she has slept on her rights for so long and has in fact acquiesced for so long in the party’s claim of ownership of the logo by her own positive actions making it doubtful if any court would grant her any relief”.
Early May this year, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings through her lawyers wrote to the National Executives Committee of the party indicating her disapproval over what she says is an infringement of the party logo which she says is her intellectual property.

According to her lawyer, Stanley Ahorlu, the logo is the intellectual property of Nana Konadu because she created it and that the necessary steps would be employed to ensure that the spirit behind the logo is not misused by any individual or group of individuals.

According to Mr. Ahorlu, Mrs. Konadu Rawlings “created the logo and subsequently registered it" which gives her the exclusive use or allow someone with her explicit permission to its use.

Her lawyer wrote that “she was not paid to create it, neither did she create it in the course of her duty as an employee that is if she was even employed by the party”, Mr. Ahorlu said.