Why Nigerians Are Angry About Deola Art’s ‘Detty December’ Trademark

 

Nigerians are debating who really owns ‘Detty December’ after Deola Art’s trademark claim. A clash of culture, capitalism, and community

We were all minding our businesses the morning of October 19 when a post on X (formerly Twitter) announced that Darey and Deola Art-Alade had announced a new festival: Detty December Fest. A Lagos event running from December 6 to 31,

2025, promising to celebrate nightlife and boost tourism.

So far, so good, until people noticed something else. The post also mentioned that the duo had trademarked the phrase ‘Detty December.’ Apparently, they’d done this back in 2019, but it looked like Nigerians were only just finding out. Within hours, timelines were flooded with outrage, memes, and debates about ownership, creativity, and who really gets to claim a phrase that feels like culture itself.

What Exactly Happened

Through their company, Livespot360, Darey and Deola Art secured a legal trademark for ‘Detty December’ years ago. It wasn’t a recent filing or a new claim. But this revelation, paired with the launch of Detty December Fest, clearly hit a nerve.

To many Nigerians, Detty December isn’t a brand. It’s a shared experience. It’s the month when flights are fully booked, concerts back up traffic, and every night feels like a party. To suddenly learn that someone owns it felt like being told Christmas was patented.

What It Means to Trademark a Phrase

For clarity, a trademark is a legal tool that helps a business protect something unique to its brand, like a logo, a slogan, or even a phrase. It gives the holder exclusive rights to use that mark commercially and stop others from using it in a confusingly similar way.

So technically, Darey and Deola Art didn’t steal anything; they used the system to protect what they believed was theirs. But the question many Nigerians are asking is: Is it theirs? Should something that belongs to the collective, a slang, a vibe, a cultural mood, ever be trademarked in the first place?

Who Really Owns 'Detty December'?

The origin of 'Detty December' isn’t officially documented, but many trace it back to 2016 when Nigerian artist Mr Eazi used the hashtag to promote his Lagos concert. At the time, he’d just released Detty Yasef featuring Falz, a song about enjoying life and 'dirtying yourself' after a long year.

In a 2022 podcast, Eazi claimed he coined and even trademarked the phrase:

'I invented Detty December. It’s not even controversial… I made a mil out of it. We did billboards everywhere, and it was hashtagged Detty December.'

He joked that he might start invoicing everyone who keeps using the term. Yet, as it turns out, his trademark didn’t extend to Nigeria, leaving the door open for someone else to claim it locally.

And so, in a twist of irony, the very phrase that started as a playful anthem for collective enjoyment has become a symbol of corporate ownership.

The Outrage: Culture vs. Commerce

For many Nigerians, the problem isn’t the paperwork; it’s the principle. Over the years, Detty December has evolved into a full-blown cultural season. It represents returnees ('IJGBs'), reunion parties, concerts, weddings, and the electric buzz of Lagos in December. It’s communal, not corporate.

 

So when Deola Art’s company put a trademark on it, people felt like a piece of shared identity had been fenced off. One user on X summed up the sentiment: 'Hyper-commercialization has ruined December.' Everything’s for profit now.

Others defended the move, calling it good business. If a brand could legally own it, why not? To them, this is just capitalism at work. Survival of the most strategic. But even that argument didn’t fully land. Many still feel it’s wrong to trademark a term you didn’t coin, especially one that’s become part of everyday language.

Which is where the tension lies: between protecting business interests and preserving cultural ownership.

So, What Now?

Despite the backlash, Detty December Fest is happening. Livespot360’s event will run from December 6 to 31 in Lagos, complete with concerts, performances, and nightlife experiences. Whether Nigerians will boycott or show up anyway remains to be seen. 

Still, the controversy has raised bigger questions about how culture evolves and who gets to benefit from it. If a phrase born from music and street slang can now be trademarked, does that mean other cultural expressions are up for grabs, too.

In the end, Detty December will still belong to the people who made it what it is. We, the people involved in the parties, the travel, the laughter, the chaos. Paperwork might own the phrase, but the culture? That’s untouchable.