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 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 MUSIGA.

"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.