Tina Turner is suing a tribute act for being too similar to her, which in a roundabout way is a solid endorsement of the tribute act in question, surely?
The 81-year-old legendary singer has filed a lawsuit against Germany-based Dorothea 'Coco' Fletcher, claiming that she looks too much like her in promotional posters, meaning fans may mistakenly think Turner is actually involved in the production.
The tribute act, who has a 50 year age difference with Turner, performs in Germany in a show called Simply The Best.
The lawsuit is against German firm Cofo Entertainment that represents various tribute acts including imitators of Elvis, The Beatles and Frank Sinatra.
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Turner's team scored an early victory in the case, when a court in Cologne ruled that the posts could be misleading to customers.
However, the posters were then given a re-design and a follow-up case at the Court of Appeals in Cologne found that the risk of the confusion to potential customers didn't outweigh the tribute act's right to artistic expression.
Turner's case has now landed at Germany's Federal Court of Justice and while it might all seem like a bit of an off-beat story, its outcome could have some serious repercussions for the tribute act industry.
Kerstin Schmitt, a lawyer representing Turner, has claimed the posters don't constitute 'art' and are actually just advertising.
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According to the Daily Mail, Schmitt said his client 'would like to decide when her name and image are used for commercial purposes'.
But Brunhilde Ackermann, a lawyer representing Cofo Entertainment, has argued that the average customer would expect a Tina Turner tribute act to look a bit like Tina Turner.
Ackermann claimed only a 'chronically stupid person who looks at everything superficially' would get the two mixed up.
The lawyer also warned that the ruling could have huge negative consequences on the multi-billion dollar tribute act industry.
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Judge Thomas Koch has reportedly questioned whether Turner's motivation for the lawsuit is because she endorses a different tribute act.
The final ruling is not set to be made until February next year.
Fletcher, who is originally from the US, started out as a club singer in Las Vegas before moving to Berlin where she joined a Stars in Concert show as a Turner impersonator.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Celebrity, Music, Weird