THE SAKA BRAND WAS A SITCOM CHARACTER STRUGGLING TO MAKE HEADWAY IN HIS CHOSEN FIELD .. SOME OTHERS THEN WOULD HAVE CALLED HIM A JESTER WHO COULD GIVE A GOOD LAUGH THROUGH HIS FUNNY ANTICS..

BUT THAT WAS UNTIL ETISLAT CAME ALONG AND CAUSED AN EVOLUTION OF THE SAKA BRAND THROUGH ITS AGGRESSIVE ADVERT MEDIUM. ..

OVERNIGHT THE SAKA BRAND BECAME A HOUSEHOLD NAME ASSOCIATED WITH ETISALAT .. HE MORE OR LESS BECAME A BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR ETISALAT .. WELL SO WE THOUGHT UNTIL THE UPGRADE MTN SHOT INTO THE AIRWAVES .. SUDDENLY THE SUPPOSED KNOWN AMBASSADOR IS SEEN IN AN ADVERT THAT CULMINATES IN SOMEWHAT OF A MOCKERY OF HIS PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS OR BUSINESS PARTNERS AS THE CASE MAYBE.

THE UPGRADE ADVERT STARTS WITH SAKA WEARING A GREEN COLOURED TOP SYNONYMOUS TO ETISALAT AND THEN SWITCHING THE THE ALL POPULAR MTN YELLOW COLOUR ..WHILE HE SINGS AND EMPHASIZES THAT HE HAS UPGRADED FROM ONE NETWORK (ETISALAT IN THIS CASE TO MTN)IN WHICH HE CAN RETAIN HIS NUMBER WHILE SWITCHING TO ANOTHER NETWORK.

ONE QUESTION .. WILL IT BE OK FOR TIGER WOODS A WELL KNOWN AMBASSADOR OF NIKE .. TO SUDDENLY START ADVERTISING FOR ADIDAS A WELL KNOWN COMPETITOR ? WHAT ARE THE LEGAL OR CONTRACTUAL CONSEQUENCES .

MANY CALLED IT AN INSULT ON ETISALAT , BUT LETS GET A LITTLE BIT MORE CRITICAL. AND ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. CAN ETISLAT LAY CLAIM TO THE SAKA BRAND AFTERALL THEY BUILT IT TO SOME EXTENT..

2. IS IT GOOD PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR THE SAKA TEAM TO TAKE ON THIS SORT OF ADVERT FOR MTN KNOWING FULLY WELL IT IS VIEWED BY THE PUBLIC AS AN ETISLAT AMBASSADOR HAVING DONE SEVERAL ADVERTS FOR ETISALAT.

3. IS THE SAKA TEAM DEVOID OF ANY LIABILITY TO ETISALAT .

4. DOES ETISALAT HAVE A CAUSE OF ACTION IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I.E PASSING OFF OR INFRINGEMENT AGAINST MTN

5 WOULD MTN FIND THE SAKA BRAND ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH FOR SUCH ADVERT IF IT WAS NOT ALREADY USED AND REFINED BY ETISALAT ?.

6. WAS SUCH ACTIONS BY MTN IN SOLICITING THE SAKA BRAND FOR THE ADVERT MALICIOUS AND UNPROFESSIONAL ?

7. CAN ETISALAT DEMAND THAT THAT THE ADVERT BE STOPPED BY MTN..

THE ANSWERS ARE NOT FARFETCHED . OFF COURSE A LOT WOULD DEPEND ON THE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SAKA TEAM AND ETISALAT .. AM SURE TEMPERS ARE ALREADY FLARING AND CORRESPONDENCES ALREADY BEING EXCHANGED BETWEEN PARTIES ... MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED .. LETS WAIT AND SEE .. ALTHOUGH WE MIGHT NEVER KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD BE DUE TO CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSES, IT WOULD BE NICE TO TEST THIS IN A COURT OF LAW JUST FOR PRECEDENCE SAKE..

LEGAL MINDS LETS HAVE UR TAKE..

I don PORT o o...

I guess ETISALAT team might have dealt with SAKA team carelessly by not giving them proper legal binding that will make the character their own 4 long period of time.
Most of Nigerian companies are guilty of this because they always want to under pay artist and discard them as soon as possible, while they ignore other possibilities because the business enviroment is not competitive enough 4 such things. I hope SAKA incidence will change history and strategy of advertisment and character marketing in Nigeria..

This is the answer to your questions (from the horses mouth).
https://www.nairaland.com/1268266/saka-ported-etisalat-mtn-true

WELL THATS SOMEWHAT ENLIGHTING BUT NOT SUFFICIENT.. I WONT CALL CENTRE SPREAD "THE HORSE" IN THIS CASE...CENTRE SPREAD CANNOT CLAIM TO HAVE CREATED THE SAKA BRAND.. BECAUSE THE BRAND HAD ALWAYS EXISTED .. I REMEMBER HOUSE APART AND OTHER SITCOMS THAT FEATURED THE BRAND SAKA..SO THEY LEVERAGED ON THE BRAND .. AND IT EVOLVED BEYOND THEIR EXPECTATIONS.

IF THE POSITION THAT ETISALAT DID NOT SIGN SAKA ON ANY SPECIFIC CONTRACT BUT WAS PAID LIKE AN AVERAGE ADVERT MODEL IS TRUE AS CLAIMED BY CENTRE SPREAD .. THEN THAT PUTS ETISALAT IN A TIGHT CORNER WHERE THEY CANT DO MUCH.. OWNERSHIP OF A BRAND IS NOT COPYRIGHT EVEN THOUGH ITS UNDER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY .. SO A CONTRACT SPECIFICALLY SETTING OUT TERMS AND LIMITATIONS IS NEEDED .. .. IN THE ABSENCE OF THAT BETWEEN ETISALAT AND THE SAKA TEAM ..THEN TOO BAD

IF ETISALAT DID NOT BOTHER TO SIGN A CONTRACT WITH SAKA .. DIRECTLY BUT WORKED WITH HIM THROUGH CENTRE SPREAD WHO RECRUITED HIS SERVICES LIKE ANY OTHER ADVERT ACTOR .. THEN TOO BAD ..THEY CANT COMPLAIN NOW ..YOU WOULD ASK WHY..CARELESSNESS,? GUESS THEY DID NOT FEEL OBLIGED TO CONFER ON HIM A CELEBRITY STATUS AND DO PROPER BRAND AMBASSADOR CONTRACTS AS IS POPULAR WITH GLO? .. IT WASN'T NECESSARY I GUESS.. PENNY WISE POUND FOOLISH ONE MIGHT SAY..

BUT ONE WOULD ASK.. IS IT GOOD PRACTICE ETHICS FOR CENTRE SPREAD TO DO WHAT THEY HAVE DONE?.. HOW MUCH DID THEY RECEIVE TO THROW PROFESSIONAL COURTESY TO THE WIND?..PROFESSIONAL COURTESY WHICH THEY OWE TO ETISALAT AS CLIENTS...
SOMEBODY IS BEING GREEDY HERE.

THEN AGAIN WE DON'T KNOW THE TRUE FACTS.. SO NO ASSUMPTIONS ..

FINGERS STILL CROSSED..