According to an industry report, brands that leveraged images or videos of Indian Olympic medal winner Manu Bhaker in promotional marketing and ads without sponsoring her are anticipated to receive legal letters for violating her personality rights.
Several brands congratulated her on social media after she won, including Bajaj Foods, KapeeFit, LIC, FIITJEE, BSC Interiors, Oakwood International School, and Kineto. However, none of these brands had ever sponsored her or had any affiliation with her.
On June 28th, Bhaker, a 22-year-old shooter, took home a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
In the past, the self-regulatory body Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has called out such brands. During the Tokyo Olympics 2020, it emphasised how brands piggybacking on athletes' wins without permission violate its code.
According to the ASCI code, "Advertisements shall not, without permission from the person, firm or institution under reference, contain any reference to such person, which confers and unjustified advantage on the product advertised or tends to bring the person, firm or institute into ridicule or disrepute. If and when required to do so by ASCI, the advertiser and the advertising agency shall produce explicit permission from the person, firm or institution to which reference is made in the advertisement."
Twenty firms were sued by PV Sindhu and her agency Baseline Ventures in 2021 for moment marketing using her name and picture without authorisation. The agency requested five crore rupees in damages. Among the brands on the list were MG Motor, UCO Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Eureka Forbes, ICICI Bank, Vodafone Idea, Pan Bahar, MG Van Melle, and HDFC Bank.
It should be mentioned that a significant number of celebrities have filed lawsuits in similar situations in markets like the US and Europe.
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