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In Mother's name

A P Kamath

Jim Briggs insists he is not doing it to earn money for himself. The 10-track compact disc, Mother Teresa: A Tribute which he wants to sell for $ 14, is meant to help the poor in India and other developing countries. He is not a commercial man, he says.

The 65-year-old man claims he has the Vatican's blessing for his project. But he has not been able to convince the man who was Mother Teresa's personal lawyer, James Towey, who has filed a case in a Toronto court charging Briggs with copyright infringement.

The disc, inspired by composer and singer Elton John's Candle in the Wind '97: English Rose, a tribute to Princess Diana, is also meant for a charitable cause, Briggs has said.

Mother Teresa... was produced by a Toronto studio, Black Russian, and, among other things, features songs performed by the Children's International Peace Choir.

"This is one of the most flagrant misuses of Mother Teresa's name and likeness I've ever seen,'' Towey, her personal lawyer for 12 years, based in Tallahassee, Florida, said in an interview.

The man has no business to exploit Mother Teresa's name, claims Towey.

Towey told reporters Briggs never asked permission from Mother Teresa's order, the Missionaries of Charity. "This project smells of bad faith," he said.

The nuns are very particular that Mother Teresa's name is used for any fund-raising, he says. Even if permission had been sought, it would have been denied, he said.

Towey says he is planning to ask US border guards to stop the disc from being shipped from across the border.

Briggs says he cannot be intimidated, and that he will carry on his with his work.

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