Supa Team 4: Netflix's First African Animation in Trailblazing Debut

Supa Team 4: Netflix's First African Animation in Trailblazing Debut
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Supa Team 4: Netflix's First African Animation in Trailblazing Debut

Supa Team 4: Netflix's First African Animation in Trailblazing Debut

Netflix's first original African animated series premiered on Thursday in a debut its creator said she hoped would pave the way for more productions from the continent.

Set in a futuristic version of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, "Supa Team 4" tells the story of four teen girls who turn undercover superheroes after being recruited by a retired secret agent to save the world.

"I'm excited that the world finally gets to see the fantastic show that the incredibly talented super team, from Africa and beyond, have put together," Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema told AFP in a statement.

"We hope 'Supa Team 4'... will lead to further investment and collaboration so we can continue to grow the industry."

Mulendema created the series after pitching it at a pan-African talent search by animation studio Triggerfish, where she became one of the winners in 2015.

When the show was first announced in 2019, Mulendema said she set the story in her home country to "illustrate that anyone from anywhere can be a superhero".

"(Animation) series shaped our childhoods and to know young Zambians get to see what they've never seen on TV before is Amazing!!" Zambian singer Sampa the Great, who worked on the theme song, wrote on Instagram this month.

Netflix has bet on diversifying its production outside the United States in recent years, scoring big with series including Spanish smash "Money Heist" and South Korean dystopian drama "Squid Game".

In April, the firm said it planned to expand operations in Africa and give "more African storytellers an amplified voice on the global stage".



Ed Sheeran Beats Copyright Appeal over ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Song

Singer Ed Sheeran performs on NBC's "Today" show at Rockefeller Center in New York, US, June 6, 2023. (Reuters)
Singer Ed Sheeran performs on NBC's "Today" show at Rockefeller Center in New York, US, June 6, 2023. (Reuters)
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Ed Sheeran Beats Copyright Appeal over ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Song

Singer Ed Sheeran performs on NBC's "Today" show at Rockefeller Center in New York, US, June 6, 2023. (Reuters)
Singer Ed Sheeran performs on NBC's "Today" show at Rockefeller Center in New York, US, June 6, 2023. (Reuters)

Ed Sheeran, his record label Warner Music and music publisher Sony Music Publishing persuaded a US appeals court on Friday to uphold a decision that his 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud" did not illegally copy Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get It On."

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan agreed with a lower-court judge's dismissal of a lawsuit from Structured Asset Sales, which owns rights to the Gaye song that previously belonged to co-writer Ed Townsend.

Structured Asset Sales' owner - investment banker David Pullman - said the company was reviewing all of its options after the decision.

A lawyer and spokespeople for Sheeran and the other defendants did not immediately respond to similar requests.

In May 2023, Sheeran defeated a separate copyright lawsuit by Townsend's heirs, who own a separate share of his interest in "Let's Get It On," in a closely watched jury trial.

SAS sued Sheeran in 2018. US District Judge Louis Stanton dismissed its case following the verdict in the heirs' case.

Stanton found that the musical elements Sheeran allegedly copied were too common to merit copyright protection.

The appeals court agreed, saying that protecting the elements could stifle creativity, and that Sheeran's and Gaye's songs were not similar enough for Sheeran's to have infringed on SAS' copyright.

It also rejected the argument that Stanton should have reviewed Gaye's actual recording, which according to Pullman included key elements that Sheeran copied, rather than focus on the song's sheet music deposited with the US Copyright Office.

SAS has filed another lawsuit against Sheeran based on its rights in Gaye's recording. That case is currently on hold.