XtendVision Sues Mawazine Festival for Rights Infringement
XtendVision has announced its intention to sue the Mawazine Festival, claiming the event’s organizers appropriated its project for a special holographic concert featuring the late artist Abdel Halim Hafez. The company describes this action as "an unethical violation of its rights and those of the artist’s heirs."
Background
XtendVision asserts that it holds exclusive global rights to utilize the image of Abdel Halim Hafez. The company decided to withdraw its holographic concert project after the Moroccan Association of Cultural Events failed to uphold the agreed-upon terms. This decision came amid dissatisfaction from the artist’s heirs and prompted legal action, especially following the granting of the project to another company without securing the necessary rights.
Holographic Project Details
In January 2025, XtendVision, a leader in advanced hologram technologies, introduced an innovative project titled "Halim: The Interactive Holographic Concert Experience." This performance aims to revive Abdel Halim Hafez using its proprietary Holobox Elite HoloVision technology, which combines realistic 3D projection, a live orchestra, and an interactive holographic press conference.
The presentation would be a global first, allowing a holographic performance synchronized with a live orchestra, in contrast to previous shows that relied on pre-recorded materials. The project involves international collaboration with experts from Morocco, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and China.
The concert was initially set to take place at the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca before the Moroccan Association of Cultural Events proposed integrating it into the Mawazine Festival program. However, relations soured due to unilateral changes to the contract and poor organization.
Legal and Ethical Violations
In April 2025, the Moroccan Association of Cultural Events unilaterally amended the contract, relocating the event to the Mohammed V Theater instead of the Souissi Theater in Rabat and allowing only one day for technical preparations, despite XtendVision’s insistence on a minimum of four to five days to ensure production quality. Consequently, the company chose to withdraw from the project.
On June 8, XtendVision discovered that the Mawazine Festival had listed an alternative holographic performance of Abdel Halim Hafez produced by New Dimension Productions (NDP), based in Dubai. This company had previously received a temporary license in 2021 for three performances, which was subsequently revoked due to violations.
Mohamed Shabana, a descendant of Abdel Halim, stated, "They have turned Abdel Halim into a caricature, as if he were a clown in a yellow suit!"
Legal Proceedings and Compensation Claims
XtendVision sent a formal notice on June 9 to the Moroccan Association of Cultural Events and NDP, demanding the cancellation of the illegal performance and a prohibition on using Abdel Halim’s image.
The company plans to file lawsuits in Morocco, Egypt, and the UAE, alongside seeking a million-dollar compensation from the Mawazine Festival for moral and material damages.
XtendVision emphasized that this incident highlights a legal void in Morocco regarding the protection of artists’ rights posthumously, raising questions about the responsibilities of event organizers to respect licensing agreements.
