Baseline Ventures warns Apollo Tyres against misuse of Indian Hockey star PR Sreejesh's image

Tuhin Mishra, managing director and co-founder of Baseline Ventures (a sports marketing agency), has criticised Apollo Tyres for the unauthorised use of Indian hockey goalkeeper Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh’s image. 

Mishra highlighted the disparity in the company’s treatment of high-profile athletes, noting they would pay large sums to secure endorsements from legends like Sachin Tendulkar and prominent teams like Manchester United but fail to respect Sreejesh’s image rights.

Baseline Ventures, which manages Sreejesh, announced plans to take necessary legal action against Apollo Tyres. 

In a LinkedIn post, Mishra expressed disappointment, saying, “Dear Apollo Tyres Ltd, we expected that a firm of your stature would follow the rules. You will go and pay crores of money to the legend of Indian cricket (Sachin Tendulkar) and to Manchester United, but guess you don’t even think for a second to use the imagery & name of probably one of the greatest hockey players of India without paying a single rupee.”

Mishra also declared a personal boycott of Apollo Tyres products in protest, stating, “Please don’t think he’s alone. We will take all necessary action against this. But I also want to state that as a mark of respect for Sreejesh, I’m throwing away all of the Apollo Tyres that my cars unfortunately have! It’s astonishing how corporate India like yours is going to treat our Living Legend of Hockey!”

Recently, Manu Bhaker, a 22-year-old shooter who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on July 28, 2024, received congratulatory messages from brands that have never sponsored or been associated with her. According to an Economic Times report, brands using photos and videos of Indian Olympic medal winners in their ads without proper endorsement deals will face legal notices for violating personality rights. The brands congratulating Bhaker include Bajaj Foods, LIC, FIITJEE, Oakwood International School, Praneet Group, Radha TMT, Apricot Bioscience, Kineto, Xtrabrick Realtors, and Parul Ayurved Hospital.

In 2021, Baseline Ventures, while managing PV Sindhu, sent legal notices to 20 brands for unauthorised use of her name and images in advertisements congratulating her for winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.