Delhi HC rejects IPL franchise RCB's plea against Uber's Travis Head ad, cites ‘sportsmanship' and ‘lighthearted humour'
The Delhi High Court Monday refused to temporarily restrain ride-hailing company Uber India from running an advertisement allegedly disparaging the trademark of Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The 52-second ad by Uber India, the official ride partner for IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), features Australian cricketer Travis Head. In the ad, Head is seen riding an Uber bike, claiming himself to be a 'Hyderabaddie', introducing himself with a cheeky smile, and then asking ' Bengaluru ' if they were '… …ready for a headache', a wordplay of his name. He then enters a stadium with an accomplice and uses spray paint to write 'Royally Challenged' above Bengaluru on a signage.
Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited, the company that owns RCB, had filed a suit against Uber India claiming that the advertisement, titled 'Baddies in Bengaluru ft. Travis Head', disparages its trademark.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee, who reserved the order on April 17, rejected the interim injunction application filed by RCB, noting that the advertisement does not call for any interference at this stage. He ruled that the 'ad is in the context of a game of cricket, a game of sportsmanship, which, in the opinion of this court, does not call for interference'.
The court held that the ad was 'one of a healthy banter and good-natured lighthearted humour without any elements of disparagement and/ or infringement', and further opined that the ad 'is at best only a creative depiction of matter(s) of fact which tries to give a taste of humour to the viewers'.
Justice Banerjee recorded that there is 'no prima facie case of disparagement and/or infringement of trademark' made out by RCB, and that neither is it a case of any kind of irreparable harm, loss and injury likely to be caused to RCB if a temporary injunction is not granted in its favour.
The court opined that it 'does not, and in fact cannot find anything wrong' with the 'intent, manner and message' of the ad, 'especially when seen with the overall spirit, or the purpose, or the context or the underlying reasoning therein'.
The court took into account that the ad is in the context of a game of cricket, a sport where the players, viewers, followers 'have their own respective genre, space, devotion, bias and tolerance, as the case may be from stage to stage and time to time, depending upon the situation(s) involved, and have their own preferred manners of engagement with the game'.
'The contours of disparagement and/or infringement while dealing with an impugned advertisement relating to a game of cricket cannot be given such a restrictive meaning or viewed by a narrow spectacle,' it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Gautam Gambhir Returns To India From England Due To Medical Emergency: Report
Last Updated: Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly returned home from England days before the Tendulkar-Anderson trophy due to a family emergency. Indian men's head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly been forced to return to India from England due to a medical emergency just days before the start of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy on June 20. According to Sportstar, his mother, Seema, has suffered a cardiac arrest and is currently in Intensive Care. Gambhir reached England with the team on June 7. This is his fourth Test series as the head coach. He reportedly missed India's net session on June 12, too, and is no longer with the squad. The date of his possible return is currently uncertain, though some reports say he might come back by next week. Gambhir's return comes on the day of India's intra-squad game. The match, likely to be played between teams drawn from the senior and India 'A' squads, will be played behind closed doors in Leeds, i.e., it won't be broadcast or streamed, and a scorecard is unlikely to be available either. According to news agency PTI, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will assume the charge for the match. Bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak will assist him. It's the last bit of red-ball preparation for several first-time members, who are coming straight from the IPL. The first Test will be played in Headingley from next Friday. Earlier, Gambhir gave a stirring motivational speech to his young team about moving on from the retirements of greats like Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and previous captain Rohit Sharma. 'All I want to say is there are two ways of looking at this group. One is that we are without our three most experienced players, or we've got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special," Gambhir said in a video shared by the BCCI, which was shot before his departure. 'And when I look around this group, the hunger, the passion and the commitment to do something special… If we make sacrifices, if we come out of our comfort zones, if we start fighting, not every day, but every session, every hour and every ball, I think we can have a memorable tour. So make sure we start that today. Start enjoying playing for the country because there's no bigger honour," he added. First Published:
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
South Africa 94/2 at tea, need 188 to win WTC final
London, Jun 13 (UNI) The ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord's is finely poised as South Africa reached 94 for 2 at tea on the third day, needing 188 more runs to defeat Australia and claim their maiden WTC title. Chasing a target of 288, the Proteas made a cautious start but were pegged back early when Mitchell Starc removed Ryan Rickelton cheaply for six with the new ball. Despite the early setback, Aiden Markram and Wiaan Mulder responded with positive strokeplay, stitching together a fluent half-century stand. However, just as the partnership was gaining momentum, Starc struck again to dismiss Mulder for 27, a soft dismissal that gave Australia a much-needed breakthrough. Temba Bavuma, the South African skipper, joined Markram and had a shaky start, surviving a chance on 2 and needing on-field treatment for a hamstring niggle. He remained unbeaten at the break. Markram looked solid at the other end, playing some crisp strokes en route to an unbeaten 49. The pitch, while appearing benign for most part, has shown occasional variable bounce, keeping the Australian bowlers interested. Earlier in the day, Starc's counterattacking half-century lifted Australia to 207 in their second innings. Coming in with the lead under 230, the left-arm pacer remained unbeaten on 58 and added 59 crucial runs with Josh Hazlewood (17) for the 10th wicket, frustrating the South African bowlers. Kagiso Rabada was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with nine wickets in the match. South Africa now require another 188 runs with eight wickets in hand to claim victory, while Australia will look to their experienced pace attack to close out the match and secure a second consecutive WTC crown. As the final session of Day 3 approaches, the game hangs in the balance — setting the stage for a thrilling finish to the WTC cycle. UNI BDN SSP
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Matthew Hayden's Brave Claim: 'Hazlewood-Cummins-Starc Trio Even Better Than...'
Last Updated: Matthew Hayden praised Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, claiming they are superior to the legendary Australian pace attack of McGrath, Lee, and Gillespie. Matthew Hayden said that the trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc could be the best pace bowling attack that Australia has produced. He claims that they are even better than the Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, and Jason Gillespie that terrorised a generation of batters. This statement comes after Day 2 of Australia's commanding performance at the World Test Championship final against South Africa in which Australia rebounded after a lacklustre batting performance, all thanks to performances of the Hazlewood-Cummins-Starc trio. Cummins collected 6 wickets, Starc dismissed the South African openers, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton, whilst Hazlewood collected the scalp of the explosive Tristan Stubbs. 'The trio of Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc might just be Australia's best-ever pace attack—even better than McGrath, Gillespie, and Lee—because they've bowled more together, in more combinations. Add Nathan Lyon to the mix, and it's an 'awesome foursome.' Australia did well to pull ahead despite pressure. South Africa fought back hard, making this a seesaw contest. It's been a fantastic Test match so far, and Day 3 promises more drama," said Hayden. 'Cummins does everything right—he challenges the off stump, uses the slope, and targets the top of the stumps, making batters play constantly. He now has over 300 Test wickets despite not bowling for five and a half years due to injury. That's extraordinary." Australia currently lead by 218 runs which puts them in major control ahead of Day 3. There hasn't been a single century partnership yet, and that could make a huge difference in the fourth innings. Even if Australia gets a lead of 250, South Africa will need a 100-run stand and another 50-run partnership to stay in the game. Ironically, more wickets have fallen when the sun's been out, not under overhead conditions. It speaks more about batting rust than exceptional bowling," he concluded. First Published: June 13, 2025, 13:19 IST
