Not ‘very nice’: Borat actor sues US cannabis firm over billboard

Sacha Baron Cohen, who created and plays the character Borat, is seeking $9m from Solar Therapeutics Inc, a Massachusetts-based cannabis dispensary that used the character on a billboard.

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen has sued a Massachusetts cannabis dispensary he says used an image of his character Borat on a billboard without his permission, according to documents filed in United States District Court in Boston. The billboard for Somerset-based Solar Therapeutics Inc. showed Baron Cohen posing as Borat with two thumbs up and the words “It’s nice!” — one of Borat’s catchphrases. “By use of the billboard, the defendants falsely have conveyed to the public that Mr. Baron Cohen has endorsed their products and is affiliated with their business,” read the complaint filed Monday. “To the contrary, Mr. Baron Cohen never has used cannabis in his life. He never would participate in an advertising campaign for cannabis, for any amount of money.”