Ceausescu’s son fights for dictator’s "brandname"
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Valentin, the adopted son of former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, is pushing for a ban on a play about the trial and execution of his parents in order to protect their good names.
His lawyer Haralambie Voicilas said Valentin Ceausescu has filed a lawsuit against the Odeon Theatre in Bucharest to stop them from performing a play titled “The Last Hours of Ceausescu”.
According to Voicilas, Valentin and his brother-in-law registered the Ceausescu name as a trademark two years' ago, making it illegal for the former dictator's name to be used for commercial purposes without their consent.
Valentin Ceausescu claims that the play infringes his registered trademark and is demanding symbolic damages of one leu (about €0.25). Mr Voicilas explained that his client's motive "is not to get rich, but to prevent his father's name being ridiculed".
The play itself is by Milo Rau, a founding member of the International Institute of Political Murder, an association based Berlin and Zurich that aims to reconstruct historical events though the arts. After showing in Bucharest, it will be performed in Berlin and also Switzerland later this month.
