With Leslie Cheung’s death anniversary approaching on April 1st, many commercial performances titled “In Memory of Leslie Cheung” have emerged in the Chinese entertainment market, with widespread use of his image, name, and songs. In response, Universal Music Hong Kong and Leslie Cheung’s close friend Chan Suk Fan jointly issued an open letter, stating that they have not given any such authorization to date, and that using copyrighted materials for commercial promotion without authorization is suspected to be illegal. They urge all illegal acts to stop.
According to “HK01,” checking Chinese ticketing and social media platforms shows that various forms of Leslie Cheung tribute performances are being held in many cities. On the ticketing site “Damai,” Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other cities will each hold special concerts, with ticket prices ranging from 50 RMB (about 28.8 MYR) to 168 RMB (about 96.9 MYR). There are also smaller-scale tribute performances at Live Houses in places like Beijing and Shantou, featuring posters with Leslie Cheung’s image to attract customers.
In response, on March 25, Universal Music Hong Kong and Leslie Cheung’s close friend Chan Suk Fan jointly issued a letter to fans. The letter points out that many concerts and events under the name “In Memory of Leslie Cheung” appeared on ticketing platforms, not only using Leslie Cheung’s image and footage for promotion but also frequently playing his classic songs.
The letter states, “We deeply respect everyone’s remembrance of ‘Gor Gor’ and the feelings of the audience, and we are always grateful. However, we must publicly declare that up to now, we have not given any such authorization.” “Using Mr. Leslie Cheung’s image and name for commercial promotion without permission constitutes a suspected violation of law. Performing ‘Gor Gor’s’ classic songs and using related performance videos without obtaining legal authorization from the copyright holders is also an infringement. Please stop all illegal acts.”
Source: HK01