Non-sponsoring brands face legal trouble over Manu Bhaker's victory marketing: ET Report

The 22-year-old shooter who won bronze at the Paris Olympics has been flooded with congratulatory wishes from brands that never sponsored her.

According to an ET report, brands using photos and videos of Indian Olympic medal winners in their ads without sponsoring them will get legal notices for violating personality rights, say executives representing top athletes in India.

Manu Bhaker, the 22-year-old shooter who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, July 28, 2024, has received congratulatory messages from brands that have never sponsored or been associated with her.

“Since yesterday, almost two dozen brands which are not associated with Manu, have released congratulatory ads on social media with her images and their brands. This is not allowed legally and we are serving legal notices to these brands… This is moment marketing free of cost,” said Neerav Tomar, MD of IOS Sports & Entertainment, which manages Bhaker.

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.

Bhaker currently endorses only Performax Activewear for sports gear and fitness fashion. However, about six other brands are negotiating to sign her for endorsements. This issue is widespread and a growing concern, executives said.

“Brands who don’t sponsor our athletes cannot legally use their images in their ads on social media or anywhere; if they do, we will take stringent action,” said a spokesperson from Baseline Ventures, which represents boxer and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, and badminton doubles players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

Legal firms believe that while there are laws in place, they are not very strict. Also, celebrities in India have not pursued many legal cases, unlike in Europe or the US.

Also Read: What can brands learn from the PV Sindhu-moment marketing debacle?

In 2021, Baseline Ventures, the sports marketing agency for badminton player PV Sindhu, sent legal notices to 20 brands. These brands had used her name and pictures in ads to congratulate her on winning a Bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

It sent notices to Happydent (Perfetti), Pan Bahar, Eureka Forbes, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Vodafone Idea, MG Motor, UCO Bank, PNB, SBI, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Fino Payments Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Bank, Wipro Lighting.