A private practitioner, Lawyer Bobby Banson, has disclosed that it is possible for musicians to sue their ‘replicas’ who have started performing their songs and making appearances at events.
According to him, there is an act that permits artistes to sue their ‘look-alikes’ on the grounds of ‘taking advantage of their reputation to make economic gains’.
“I think you can look at the unfair competition act that allows somebody to sue another person when the other is taking advantage of his reputation to make undue economic gains. An artiste can use the common law of passing off to make the argument that these so-called lookalikes are taking advantage of his reputation and intellectual property to deceive his followers and because of that, he has lost X or Y amount of money” he stated in an interview with Joy A-Z showbiz.
Meanwhile, some netizens have condemned the act of these individuals posing as celebrities at various events or even granting media interviews.
Celebrities including Ghanaian musician, Edem, have slammed event organizers, bloggers, and other stakeholders, for `condoning and entertaining these ‘artiste look-alikes’.
Background
In recent times, social media has witnessed an influx of individuals with little resemblance to some popular Ghanaian musicians.
From dressing like them to acting like them, these young men have been seen dancing or imitating the singers on numerous occasions.
Artistes including; King Promise, Kwesi Arthur, Mr. Drew, Kuami Eugene, KiDi, Quamina MP, and many others have had their replicas suddenly trooping out of their hideouts.
EB/AE