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Sacha Baron Cohen Sues Cannabis Company For $9 Million Over Borat Billboard

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This article is more than 2 years old.
Updated Jul 13, 2021, 06:11am EDT

Topline

Actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen filed a lawsuit against a U.S. cannabis company on Monday for allegedly using his Borat character on a billboard ad, a change of pace for the comic who is no stranger to lawsuits over his controversial portrayals. 

Key Facts

Baron Cohen filed the lawsuit against Massachusetts-based Solar Therapeutics alleging copyright infringement and false advertising through the use of the “portrait, picture, image, likeness, and persona of” Baron Cohen and the Borat character, court documents show. 

The billboard in question—on a “busy interstate highway in Massachusetts”—features Baron Cohen as Borat, with his thumbs up and the words “it’s nice!,” a well-known phrase of the character. 

Baron Cohen has “never… used cannabis in his life” and would never participate in an ad campaign for cannabis, “for any amount of money,” the lawsuit said, noting that the actor has “never been involved in advertising any commercial products or services (in the U.K. or U.S.)… despite countless opportunities to do so.”

Solar Therapeutics “took a gamble” on using Baron Cohen’s likeness without permission, the filing alleges. 

Baron Cohen is seeking damages of “at least $9 million” and a court order preventing the company from using his likeness.  

Solar Therapeutics did not respond immediately to Forbes’ request for comment.

Crucial Quote

Baron Cohen does not believe cannabis is a “healthy choice” and has consistently refused to endorse products over fears doing so would “weaken his credibility as an actor and a serious social activist,” the filing said. The actor once turned down a $4 million offer to appear in a car commercial, court documents said. 

Key Background

Baron Cohen normally finds himself on the receiving end of criticism and lawsuits, especially from people who have found themselves the unwitting subjects of his pranks. Borat—a fictional Kazakh journalist featured in two of Baron Cohen’s films—is one of the comic’s most famous characters. Borat was initially decried and banned in Kazakhstan for its coarse and offensive depiction of the Central Asian country that many around the world took to be an accurate portrayal. When the second film was released, the country changed tact, embracing the character as a way to boost tourism.      

Further Reading

‘Borat’ Sustainable Cannabis Billboard Sparks Lawsuit (Hollywood Reporter)

Kazakhstan, Reversing Itself, Embraces ‘Borat’ as Very Nice (NYT)

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