Can Borat be Sued by the "I Kiss You!" Guy?
In the November 2006 edition of WIRED Magazine, Mahir Cagri - who made an online international splash with his "I Kiss You" website in the 1990's - was interviewed for an article entitled "Mahir to Borat: I Sue You!".
In that interview, Mahir stated he plans on suing Sacha Baron Cohen for essentially stealing his persona to create the fictional Kazakhstan reporter "Borat"...Click here to read the entire article.
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posted by [bobble headlines] at 9:02 AM
14 Comments:
Great article! The Wired article should have had this much substance, I think they totally dropped the ball.
In any case, thank you for setting the record straight!
Now, what's your take about Borat vs Yakov Smirnoff??
Cheers
Very interesting indeed. And I love this old video of Kristof, Borat's ancestor. But the fact that Borat was created prior to Borat doesn't mean that Borat may have be inspired by some of Mahir's traits later on. The 'I like sex', the ping pong, the red bathing suit...
Hey Walter,
My initial reaction to the WIRED Magazine story was similar to yours (ie. evidence for Mahir's claim), but then I reconsidered...
Their article is simply an interview with Mahir Cagri. So if he states he's going to sue Borat, then they'll print it. They *could* have done some research, I suppose. But maybe that was outside the bounds of what they were going for.
And even FUNNIER (and perhaps Wire magazines' intention all along to get some free press. LOL), the Associated Press has picked up the story and it's now on CNN, MSNBC, CBC and a ton of other places (along with the original papers that reported the Wire interview and countless blogs and forums)!
ENN can't compete with the Associated Press. But at least the truth is out there now. :)
Thansk for the comment!
Hi Instapi,
While it certainly *is* possible that Borat has incorporated some Mahir-like characteristics while being developed over the years, methinks it'd be a tough sell in court.
I mean *everyone* likes sex, there was another amusing (and charmingly "slow") guy who also liked ping pong... Forest Gump anyone... and beaches around the world hold a TON of swarthy guys wearing red speedos. LOL
But I get your points. ;)
Thanks for taking the time to write!
One more comment about this -- one of Sacha Baron-Cohen's catchphrases was "I like sex" in the 1990s, long before Mahir used this catchphrase on his website. I think Sacha Baron-Cohen should sue Mahir!
I would like to ask you all.
First question:
Why does all media talks about that borat has imitated Mahir.
Mahir doesn't said Borat is imitating me. The world is saying that.
If you look at borats former movies in channel 4 or BBC and if you compare borat 1997 or 1998 with borat 2006 you will see a hell of differences from the speaking slogans to the bodylanguage and storyboard.
What makes us people going to the cinema. The answer is ..."the trailer".
So if you look at the trailer watch it very slowly.
You see all features of Mahir's internet web page main features with the movie.
People look very close and then you see what I mean.
The movie also feature Mahir's characteristics. Also at the trailer.
So check the trailer and look at mahir's web page at the same time.
The chronoloc timing is also the same.
So therefore I am sure that mahir will win the trial very easy.
Watch and see ;)
Hiya,
Thanks for commenting.
If you check out the ENN article closely, it states that Mahir *did* say Borat was imitating him in his WIRED Magazine article...
"All people know Sacha Baron Cohen imitate only me," Cagri recently fumed via email."
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/play.html?pg=4
If you watch the 1998 Borat video on the ENN page, you will certainly recognize that Kristo acts exactly like Borat. The video isn't long enough to display ALL that character's mannerisms and language traits.
Also, you can go to Youtube and search for "Best of Borat" which I *believe* is also date stamped somewhere as being filmed in 1998 and features many Borat videos from at least that long ago. And 1998 is when Mahir's website came out as best I can determine...
But of course any long time character is going to develop over that many years, so Kristo or early Borat may not do or say everything the current one does. But it's close enough imo.
I think the Frat Boys have a better lawsuit chance against Borat *if* they were drunk when they signed the release forms. :)
celebs.electronicnewsnetwork.com/sacha-cohen/borat-sued-by-frat-boys.php
Hello
Thank you for your answer.
If you look at the sentence it says: "All people know Sacha Baron Cohen imitate only me"
The whole media press is saying that. I would like to hear your arguments, why does the press indicating this. The first article has been done by the guardian. And later on it came from all other media agencies. CNN, BBC, CBS, REUTERS,...etc
Of course the Borat character is developing the point is while developing he copycats Mahir characteristics, webpage, slogans.
Eventhough you did not wrote about if you tile 2 windows 1st mahir's webpage the 2nd borats trailer.
I would like your arguments in this subject.
The other thing is All the media says Borat imitate Mahir and it really suprised me what you wrote about the article before.
Maybe you did not read it correctly because you focused only at 1 point. Where are the arguments of your former subject of the article.
you wrote "But of course any long time character is going to develop over that many years, so Kristo or early Borat may not do or say everything the current one does. But it's close enough imo."
The thing is if Borat would use all the characteristics in Past I would say You are right. But there is none of them. The key Point is while the character Borat is developing he copycats Mahir.
Look closely at the web page www.ikissyou.org and watch the trial of Borat. COINCEDENCE? Hmm.
So therefore I believe Mahir wins the trial very easy.
Mahir you are number 1!!!!
Borat if you develope use your own creation and do not copycat others ideas.
See ya
Hi again,
>If you look at the sentence it >says: "All people know Sacha Baron >Cohen imitate only me"
Yes - that is apparently what Mahir Cagri wrote to WIRED Magazine by email when he was being interviewed by them.
So *he* thinks Borat *is* immitating him. :)
>The whole media press is saying >that...The first article
>has been done by the guardian. And >later on it came from all other >media agencies. CNN, BBC, CBS, >REUTERS..."
Wired Magaizne said it first (quoting Mahir Cagri)...
Then the Guardian and a few other newspapers (along with many blogs and forums online) reported on what Mahir said in WIRED Magazine...
But the reason the story got carried by SO many newspapers etc is because Reuters and Associated Press picked up on the story. And those companies are "news suppliers" (for lack of a better word) to the mainstream media like cnn, bbc, cbc, etc.
Therefore, CNN etc *all* simply posted the story exactly as they received it from the AP and Reuters. If you look at a number of them you'll see they have exactly the same text (or pretty darn close).
That is, in part, why ENN took a more detailed look at Mahir's statement that Borat copied him. Those other news companies didn't question or investigate the allegations at all - just posted what the AP sent them.
Regarding Borat's development and copying Mahir's catch phrases...
It's possible Sascha Cohen's has seen the "I Kiss You" website etc and *may* have borrowed some of the his traits. But he may have come up with it on his own too - there's no real way to tell (ie. there have definitely been men with poor English skills who have said "I Like Sex!" before Mahir ever did, and although Both Borat and mahir play ping pong, so do lots of other people including Forest Gump).
The fact of the matter is there have been plenty of "foreign guy" comedy characters over the years, so neither Borat nor Mahir is completely original.. i.e. Latka (Andy Kaufman) on U.S. television's "Taxi", the Spanish waiter(?) character on the BBC's "Fawlty Towers" (both shows from the 70s), and I've read related posts that also mention Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau from the "Pink Panther" movies as being a similar bumbling foreigner character that originally appeared in 1963...
So are there similarities between Boart and Mahir?
Yes.
Did Sascha Cohen purposely copy some characteristics he saw with Mahir as he was developing the already existing Kristo/Borat role?
Maybe yes and maybe no.
Would Mahir win a lawsuit against Sascha Cohen?
There's simply no way Mahir would win unless Cohen came right out and admitted he stole his character... and I'm not even sure that would do it, since there are enough differencfes between the two and Mahir doesn't have a 'trademark' or 'copyright' on his persona, even if such a thing is possible.
I appreciate your steadfast support for Mahir Cagri, and I personally enjoyed his website when it first became popular, and he seems like a nice enough guy. But the purpose of the ENN article was simply to find out if Borat existed before the Mahir website and I think it's proven that he did.
There is "grey area" to be sure, but it's not something he'll win in court imo. :)
Hello There,
Question Number 1:
You still did not wrote anything about if you look at mahir's webpage and if you watch the Borat Trailer at the same time. Above at 2 articles it has been mentioned but you did not wrote in point anything about it.
Do you see any similarities yes or know?
A trailer makes people watching the movie and paying for a cinema ticket. Yes or no?
Of course Yes.
So Borat did not use any phrases as I invite you. Stay my house. I kiss you, etc.....
None of them has been used by Cohen before. Yes he said I like sex. Everyone says that. But no one says the sentences I wrote above.
Question Number 2:
Mahir web page, when he became a celebrity,
1. Picture: table tennis picture(if you look at the picture it is a old picture. You see it because mahir looks younger at that time)
2. Picture: at the beach with his speedo.
3. Picture: dancing with the locals
With these pictures mahir became a celebrity and a internet phenomenon.
Now look at Borat's trailer. İsn't it the same?
Of course it is.
Please give me answer for question number 1 and question number 2.
If you still believe that there are no similarities then I believe you live at a different Planet. Sorry to write this but my whole neighborhood thinks like that even the whole town believes that Borat copycat Mahir.
If Mahir will sue Borat we can talk about it but if Mahir will win then we have justice in this subject and everyone will go on with his routine life.
Your comments please.
Mahir's website is older than the Borat routine by at least a year.
It's nearly identical to Louis C.K. suing Dane Cook for ripping off his material.
Cook waited two years though instead of a single year before ripping off Louis' jokes.
that is the dumbest claim ever... mahir is 44 and should not flatter himself when spreading a rumor HIMSELF about bill gates being his fan and assuming Sacha wasted the time on his ridiculously poorly made website. Plus, Sacha is an actor.. this guy is really that retarded to act the way he does.
I want him to make a movie just to watch it flop or be straight to dvd or even better.. ONLY SOLD ON HIS WEBSITE
It is interesting to point out that Kristo character existed in 1994 but only started shaping and talking broken english in 1998 after the Mahir phenomena.
shalom
The Result
I want to be brief, why is nobody asking the question: “Why was Borat more succesfull then Bruno?”
The answer is easy.
I try not to confuse you too much but Mahir’s webpage www.ikissyou.org, is really basic and funny for those times but it is interpretated as an “internet phenomenon”. It was just a one time luck.
The page has its “mystic” energy. The formal pictures of playing ping pong, with the red speedo, dancing with the locals. Watch the trailer Borat it has exactly the same structure as at Mahir’s page.
So the success was not far for Sacha Baron Cohen for his movie Borat.
I read so many articles that Borat was a former created character then Mahir. Well its true.... but.... does anyone of this world remembers him from his past tence created character Borat. The answer is no. Nobody could remeber or even say that this is Borat from 1994. Nobody knew because he wan’t famouse. You have to dig to gain any information of his former character Borat at channel 4. But thats it. Borat has harmed our image as Mr. Cagri is a gentelmen and a good man with manners.
Myself I remeber Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G.
So no we have Bruno a totally different figure then Borat.
Here are the results
Borat
Domestic Total Gross: $128,505,958
Distributor: Fox
Release Date: November 3, 2006
Genre: Comedy Running Time: 1 hrs. 24 min.
MPAA Rating: R Production Budget: $18 millio
Domestic: $128,505,958 49.1%
+ Foreign:
$133,066,786 50.9%
________________________________________
= Worldwide: $261,572,744
Bruno
Domestic Total Gross: $60,054,530
Distributor: Universal
Release Date: July 10, 2009
Genre: Comedy Running Time: 1 hrs. 28 min.
MPAA Rating: R Production Budget: N/A
Domestic: $60,054,530 43.9%
+ Foreign:
$76,879,308 56.1%
________________________________________
= Worldwide: $136,933,838
İnformation taken by www.boxofficemojo.com
So according to the result. Bruno just made the half of Borat. So is there any Success? No. Is at the movie Bruno a story? No.
So I think the answer is clear.
Don’t be suprised if Borat 2 is coming out he will have a triple gain then Borat 1.
You know why, just read above again....
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