| | Art & Culture/Ent 
[ 2014-02-10 ] 
Fight over Ghana Music Week
The tussle over who has the legal right to use the
franchise and brand name, 'Ghana Music Week' has
started again between the Musicians Union of Ghana
(MUSIGA), on one hand and owners of Mad Time a
Entertainment on the other hand.
Days after MUSIGA launched the 2014 edition of the
Ghana Music Week Festival, Artiste Manager Fennec
Okyere and Rapper Kwaw Kese have dared the
association's President, Bice ‘Obour' Osei
Kuffour to go ahead with the festival if he wants
to be slapped with a legal suit.
Indeed, when MUSIGA launched the 2013 edition last
year, Fennec cried foul, claiming he had
registered 'Ghana Music Week' and therefore MUSIGA
had no legal right to use the brand name.
\
After broad stakeholder consultations, Fennec
yielded to pleas for MUSIGA to be allowed to go
ahead with the event last year because
preparations were far advanced and all was set to
roll.
"Obour, myself and Kwaw were all summoned to the
Registrar General's Department and they were told
by the arbitrator there that MUSIGA cannot use the
name GMW. He further told them that if they
wanted to use the name, they had to negotiate with
us first. But for some reason they are now calling
it GMW Festival. What does the GMW mean?," Fennec
told NEWS- ONE on Sunday and said he and Kwaw
Kesse are the rightful owners of the brand name.
"We have incorporated the name Ghana Music Week as
our company name and we have also registered Ghana
Music Week Festival as our product. Kwaw Kese and
I are 50-50 owners of the company and we have all
the legal backing to prove it," he added and said
he has not given MUSIGA any permission to use the
brand name under any condition.
When the dispute broke out last year chairman of
business at MUSIGA said Fenec had no case and that
the brand name actually belongs to M JSIGA.
"I think we don't have to waste time on this
issue. I am glad that the courts in Ghana are
still potent so we will test the law in this
country on this issue," Rex Omar told Peace FM.
According to Rex, GMW was first celebrated in 2002
and then in 2013 by MUSIGA and for that reason he
did not understand why Fennec and Kwaw Kesse
would go ahead to the Registrar General's
Department and register it as their company.
"Are you telling me that someone can just wake up
and go and register the name Rex Omar which I have
been using on stage over 20yrs? I thank God Ghana
is not a jungle but a civilized country so let's
see what happens," Rex noted.
The second edition of the GMW would take place
from March 3 to March 9, 2014 at the National
Theatre, Accra Sports Stadium and some selected
venues in Accra. Source - Daily Guide
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