No court has stopped our awards - Spyder Lee

The recent controversy over the name ‘GN Bank People’s Choice Awards’ does not mean the event slated for March 21 would not come off and therefore nominees and fans of the awards should not be perturbed, Spyder Lee Entertainment, organisers of the event, have said.

“We have realised that some media houses are reporting that a court has placed an injunction on the event but this is not true. No court has spoken about the event. It is the name of the event that has sparked some controversy and we want the public to understand that the event would happen so they can continue to vote for their favourite celebrities,” Chris Koney, Public Relations Officer of the Awards, explained to NEWS-ONE.

An Accra High Court last Thursday ordered Spyder Lee and another rival company, Evolutions International, to stop using the name ‘People’s Choice Awards’.

The injunction was placed after Evolution International went to court with a claim it had registered the trademark ‘People’s Choice Awards’, and that Spyder Lee has no right to go ahead with the much-talked-about GN Bank People’s Choice Awards.

However, Spyder Lee has said through a statement that the event would not be affected by the court order.

“We assure all nominees and the general public of our commitment to work within the framework of the laws governing the Republic of Ghana to ensure that the awards night comes off as planned amidst all the pomp and pageantry as expected. Contrary to media reportage, the show has not been cancelled and we are still preparing towards the 21st March, 2015 show and in compliance with the court order.”

The statement continued: “The planning process for this awards didn’t start in 2014 and there is enough documentation available to prove that the process even started before Evolution International allegedly filed for a trademark in 2011. To organise an awards scheme of such magnitude is a long and expensive process and everyone involved can attest to this.”

It said “Spyder Lee Entertainment respects the rule of law and if our courts forbid us from using the words “People” and “Choice”, we will surely obey. The point of this awards scheme is to give the general public the opportunity to determine the practitioners within the Arts and Entertainment Industry they think should be awarded and celebrated. Whether we say it is their “choice”, or their “selection” or their “will” does not change the spirit of the awards. Whether we call our citizens the “People”, or the “Fans” or anything else does not affect our commitment to involving them in deciding who wins what at the awards night. It is our hope that Evolution International will respect that when we announce the new name of our event.”

“Our doors are always open and we will appreciate any media house that contacts us for clarity when in doubt before going ahead to misrepresent the facts in the spirit of professional journalistic practice,” the statement noted.