Celebrities lookalike must be banned – Lawyer explains
Godwin Selasi Owusu, a legal practitioner, has explained why it is legally and morally wrong for celebrity lookalikes to profit from or damage the reputations of the celebrities they resemble.
He noted that the actions of these individuals could cause unfair competition and harm the reputation of the original celebrity.
Mr. Owusu added that impersonating someone without their consent is legally unacceptable, and the original celebrities have the right to sue their lookalikes under the common law of passing off or criminal law.
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He explained that offences like defrauding by false pretences could attract a sentence of up to 20 years.
On the civil side, Mr. Owusu stated that performing songs of the original artistes without their permission could be an infringement of their performance rights, which could result in a fine or a jail term of up to five years.
He advised celebrity managers to take action to prevent these individuals from causing harm to their clients’ reputations, while urging the lookalikes to create their own content instead of copying others.
There has been a recent surge in lookalikes of famous musicians in Ghana who perform at events and on social media.
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