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Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is suing an American cannabis company for using his character in one of his billboard films.
The character “Borat”, from one of the British actor’s films, was used to promote cannabis production with the character’s famous phrase “It’s beautiful!”
The merits of the case indicated that the actor had never used cannabis, and would not help promote him, no matter how much money he was offered.
Actor Cohen is seeking $ 9 million in damages. There was no reaction from the company promoting the ad.
In a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts on Monday, the actor accuses the promoter of the ad of copyright infringement and misrepresentation in the ad.
The famous actor’s lawyer said the company “risked” assuming that Sasha would not see the ad.
He added that the actor had not promoted any product in the United States or the United Kingdom, fearing it would affect his credibility as an actor and “important social activist”.
The lawyer said that the character of “Borat” had high commercial value and that the actor had previously refused an offer to appear in a commercial for a car for $ 4 million.
A photo of the ad, which the promoter says it removed, is included in the case documents.
And the bottom line was that “Cohen carefully maintains his image as an actor.”
The rationale stated that “Cannabis remains a controversial subject and Cohen has no intention of promoting it. Additionally, the actor was born into a religious Jewish family, is a conservative Jew, takes pride in his cultural heritage and does not want to be involved in the debate within the community over whether it is possible to consume cannabis. . »Indian according to Jewish customs and religion.
Cannabis is legally used in Massachusetts for medicinal and recreational purposes.
Borat Sagdiev’s character first appeared on Cohen’s show Ali J and was used in an Oscar nominated film in 2006.
The character returned to the screen last year in a new film, in which Cohen won Best Actor at this year’s Golden Globe Awards.
The famous phrase “Borat” was used in a campaign to promote culture and tourism in Kazakhstan.
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