Gladiators gets injunction against French company

The Gladiators win injunction against French company

Barbara Gayle

Staff Writer

Al Griffiths, son of the legendary Albert Griffiths and the leader of the The Gladiators, has been granted an order by the Supreme Court barring Jeffrey Cabel Stephenson and Cartel Concert, a French booking company, from using the name The Gladiators.

Stephenson was allegedly attempting to use the name to promote a tour across Europe, which was to start last Friday.

The injunction was granted last Monday by Justice Sonia Bertram Linton and is to be in effect for 28 days.

This is not the first time Griffiths had to get an injunction from the court preventing Stephenson from using the name The Gladiators. In 2008, Stephenson allegedly attempted to misrepresent three young dancehall acts as The Gladiators at an annual family fun day and dance in the Trelawny multi-purpose stadium. On that occasion, Griffiths got an an injunction on New Year's Day and served him on the night of the event, preventing them from using the name.

"There comes a time when we as Jah children and the inheritors of such a rich legacy as The Gladiators have to stand up and defend what is rightfully ours. I was pleased by the swift action of my lawyer, Chukwuemeka Cameron, and the judge," Griffiths said.

Stephenson is not a stranger to The Gladiators as he used to work with Albert Griffiths, the founder and the then leader of the group, one of Jamaica's oldest original roots reggae touring bands, which has toured across Europe and South America every year for the last 50 years. The band has produced hits such as Hello Carol and Jah Works.