Marketing firm, Market Me, has said that it is the owner of the Jamaica Moves brand.
The firm made the declaration in a statement posted to its website’s landing page on Sunday (July 26).
This is the first statement put out by the marketing firm which is at the centre of a scandal over contracts issued to it by the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOWH).
Prior to Market Me’s a statement Permanent Secretary in the MOWH, Dunstan Bryan had said the ministry was looking to recover ownership of the intellectual property related to Jamaica Moves from Market me, which had been contracted to deliver the campaign.
Bryan had indicated that intellectual property rights would be transferred by the end of next month.
However, Market Me in a statement aimed at setting the record straight said that it had “conceptualized and pursued” the Jamaica Moves brand initiative.
“After conceptualization, we approached several players in the private and public sector for funding including the Ministry of Health and Wellness, to implement the initiative,” said the company in a statement.
Market Me further said it had through its own efforts raised $75 million to fund the initiative.
“The financial support raised over the period 2016-2020, through our own efforts, from corporate and private-sector sources to fund Jamaica Moves is in excess of 75 million, which is more than the ministry’s aggregate approved contracts value of $54,832,520. Further, much of the expenses of the Jamaica Moves initiative were paid by funding from private sector entities directly to suppliers, and not through Market Me,” added the company in its statement.
Market Me further disclosed that its contract with the ministry had expired and that it was anticipating a renewal of the contract that will address all outstanding matters including ownership of and rights to intellectual property
