Nigerian fashion designer, Ugo Monye has accused the creators of the;Hollywood blockbuster, ‘Coming 2 America’, of copying it’s registered ‘Reale Design’, which was featured in the movie. Also,. Again,. Meanwhile,. That notwithstanding,.
Ugo Monye while citing a picture of the ‘Reale Design’ disclosed in a statement;that the attire has been sold in various countries, and is also a protected trademark design. He also stated that the design first launched in November 2017 after;TV show host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, wore the outfit to the wedding of Banky W and Adesua Etomi. Again,. Also,. More so,. Meanwhile,. Nonetheless,.
Ugo Monye in his statement noted that the ‘Reale design’ which features a kimono;and less bulky concept of the Nigerian ‘Agbada’ attire was imitated in the movie without their permission. Again,. Meanwhile,. Also,. More so,. Meanwhile,. That notwithstanding,.
“Ugo Monye Ltd designs creates, and markets contemporary African Men’s fashion, with a range of collections including the Reale Collection. The Reale Design has been registered at the Patents and Designs Registry in Nigeria”. Again,. Also,. More so,.
“It has come to our attention that our registered ‘Reale Design’ was reproduced and featured in the movie [Coming 2 America] without UML’s authorization”.
Ugo Monye revealed that “The producers; Paramount pictures, New Republic productions, Eddie Murphy productions, and Misher Film;production, through the costume designer of the movie, Ruth E. Carter commissioned some tailors/designers in Nigeria to design and;produce some costumes for the movie that are an infringement of UML’s design”. Again, More so,. Also
Ugo calls on other creatives to fight against cultural appropriation
The company said that actions would be taken to ensure that the;infringement is alleviated and called for a “stand against cultural appropriation; non- Africans continuing to profit off African Culture unauthorizedly.”
“We are currently taking action to ensure that this infringement ceases and is remedied.
“We hope that the movie players and costume designers do the right thing and stop taking advantage of the sweat and goodwill of a smaller brand, painstakingly built over the years”.
“UML will not hesitate to go lengths to protect its brand and goodwill against infringers and other unauthorized users, foreign and local”.
This development has put social media users in a frenzy as they have reacted to it. Several people mentioned the fact that they had recognized the design in the movie and they were very excited about it. They however advised Monye to go ahead and take all the necessary legal action because he needs to be credited for his intellectual property.
Nonetheless, some stated that they were glad that the designs have been registered and trademarked because it will make it easy for the designer to be well compensated should he sue the producers of the movie. Some comments to Monye’s post read:
That notwithstanding, Ugo Monye is a contemporary fashion company with over ten years of resourceful experience. According to the company, their “talented team are known to constantly deliver best-in-class and high-quality clothing and design”.
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