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ARTICLE · 15 JULY 2021

Borat's Subsequent Litigation Lawsuit

Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
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Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger to litigation. The creator of the Borat, Ali G and other characters has been sued on several occasions. He has faced suits from unwitting participants in his films...

United StatesIntellectual Property
Edward Rosenthal
Edward Rosenthal
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Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger to litigation.  The creator of the Borat, Ali G and other characters has been sued on several occasions.  He has faced suits from unwitting participants in his films who claimed they were tricked into signing releases. He has been threatened with a lawsuit by the government of Kazakhstan arising out of the treatment of that country in the first Borat film.  He even has been sued for defamation by former Alabama Senator Roy Moore. 

But now Baron Cohen is the plaintiff in a claim against a Massachusetts based Cannabis dispensary which used his image as the Borat character on a billboard that appeared on a Massachusetts highway. The plaintiffs in the suit include both Baron Cohen personally and also a company called Please You Can Touch, LLC ("PYCT") which owns the copyrights in the Borat films.  A copy of the Complaint can be found  here.   Baron Cohen claims that the use of his likeness as well as of the catchphrase "It's Nice"

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This post first appeared in Frankfurt Kurnit's Focus on the Data blog (www.focusonthedata.com). It provides general coverage of its subject area. We provide it with the understanding that Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz is not engaged herein in rendering legal advice, and shall not be liable for any damages resulting from any error, inaccuracy, or omission. Our attorneys practice law only in jurisdictions in which they are properly authorized to do so. We do not seek to represent clients in other jurisdictions.

Originally published by the New York Legal Ethics Reporter

www.fkks.com

This alert provides general coverage of its subject area. We provide it with the understanding that Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz is not engaged herein in rendering legal advice, and shall not be liable for any damages resulting from any error, inaccuracy, or omission. Our attorneys practice law only in jurisdictions in which they are properly authorized to do so. We do not seek to represent clients in other jurisdictions.

www.fkks.com

This alert provides general coverage of its subject area. We provide it with the understanding that Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz is not engaged herein in rendering legal advice, and shall not be liable for any damages resulting from any error, inaccuracy, or omission. Our attorneys practice law only in jurisdictions in which they are properly authorized to do so. We do not seek to represent clients in other jurisdictions.

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