Sacha Baron Cohen Sues Weed Company For Using Borat's Likeness: Report

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20221180 Views

Sacha Baron Cohen accuses Solar Therapeutics cannabis company of using an unauthorized image of Borat to promote their brand.

Borat made his triumphant return in time for the 2020 election. Sacha Baron Cohen revived his iconic character for the sequel to, well, troll politicians, largely Republicans. Unfortunately for the comedian, the use of his image has been taken outside of the political sphere and into the cannabis industry which is now at the center of a new lawsuit.

Arnold Turner/Getty Images

According to BBC, Cohen filed a lawsuit against medical cannabis company Solar Therapeutic who allegedly took his image and put it on a billboard in Massachusetts to promote their brand. Cohen said that the image of Borat was placed next to a 4/20 promo poster along with his catchphrase, "It's nice."

Cohen's lawyer said that the company "took a gamble" by using the actor's image for their promotion with hopes that he wouldn't see it.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1414893461766123527

Cohen said that he doesn't smoke weed at all and has no connection to the company in any way. He added that even if they had approached him to use his image, he would've refused to be the face of a campaign for weed.

The English comedian is suing Solar Therapeutic for copyright infringement and is seeking $9 million in damages. He's also demanding that the court orders an injunction preventing the company from using his name, image, and likeness to sell their products.

[Via]

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.