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First Post
06-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Why RCB failed to get the court to block Uber ad featuring SRH batter Travis Head
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) failed to get Uber's viral ad featuring Travis Head removed. The Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of Uber and has denied RCB's claim. The court noted that the ad was humorous and not defamatory or a trademark violation. Here's everything to know about the case. read more The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) recently took Uber India to court over a viral ad featuring Australian cricketer Travis Head wanting to get it removed. However, the Delhi High Court has now refused to stop the ad from airing. The ad that featured Travis Head, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025, took a cheeky dig at RCB by changing their slogan and branding in a humorous context. RCB felt the joke went too far and took the matter to court, which has now refused to take their side, allowing the ad to run. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What was the ad about? Uber released a funny ad to promote its bike service, Uber Moto. In the video, Travis Head, an Australian cricketer who currently plays for SRH, is called a 'Hyderabaddie.' He is seen spray-painting the words 'Royally Challenged' on a signboard for a fictional match between Bengaluru and Hyderabad. RCB felt that this phrase was a clear dig at them. They also claimed the ad used a twisted version of their famous slogan 'Ee Sala Cup Namde' without permission. The ad went viral, getting over 1.3 million views on YouTube alone. RCB argued that the ad hurt their reputation and mocked their team name and trademark. Their lawyer said Uber was using a modified version of the RCB brand just to promote their own service. According to them, this wasn't just a joke, it was unfair and illegal commercial use of someone else's trademark. What did Uber say? Uber disagreed and called the ad a piece of harmless humour. Their lawyer said it was all done in good spirit before an IPL match, and there was no serious intention to insult or harm RCB. They also said that the Indian audience has a good sense of humour and can clearly tell the difference between a joke and a personal attack. Uber further clarified that they didn't support just one team (SRH) and had no exclusive deal with them. What did the court decide? After listening to both sides, the Delhi High Court refused to stop Uber from showing the ad. According to Bar and Bench, Justice Saurabh Banerjee said that the ad was part of cricket banter and sportsmanship. It didn't show any intention to defame or insult RCB and there was no clear trademark violation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The judge also noted that no serious damage to RCB's reputation was proven. The ad was protected under freedom of speech and commercial expression. The court also said that stopping the ad now would be unfair, especially when the IPL season is going on, and such light-hearted ads are common during this time.
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
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.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Explained: What happened in the RCB vs Uber case?
Royal Challengers Bangalore had sued Uber India over an ad featuring Sunrisers Hyderabad and Aussie opener Travis Head, alleging it mocks the team with the phrase 'Royally Challenged Bengaluru' and damages its commercial reputation. Here's all you need to know about the latest developments in the case: Q: What was the core issue brought before the Delhi High Court? A: The core issue was a lawsuit filed by the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Uber India. RCB alleged that an Uber advertisement featuring cricketer Travis Head, promoting its bike taxi service Uber Moto, commercially disparaged their brand by using the phrase 'Royally Challenged Bengaluru.' Q: What specific part of the Uber ad did RCB object to? A: RCB primarily objected to the scene in the advertisement where Head, playing the character 'Hyderabaddie', spray-paints the phrase 'Royally Challenged Bengaluru' on a stadium signboard. RCB argued this was a 'deprecatory variant' of their trademark and intended to make the team a 'laughing stock' among fans. READ: Gujarat Titans pacer Rabada available for Mumbai match after serving drug suspension Q: What was RCB's legal argument for seeking an injunction? A: RCB's legal argument, presented by advocate Shwetasree Majumder, was that the advertisement crossed the line from mere parody into commercial disparagement. They emphasised that IPL franchises are commercial enterprises with significant emotional and commercial value among fans, and Uber was using this value to disparage their mark for commercial gain. Q: How did Uber defend its advertisement in court? A: Uber's counsel, Saikrishna Rajagopal, defended the advertisement by arguing that it was humorous and contextually grounded. He claimed the phrase 'Royally Challenged' was a light-hearted reference to RCB's chances in an upcoming match and that the viewing public had a sufficient 'sense of humour' to understand this. He also stated that Uber does not exclusively promote any one team and the ad was provocative at best, not disparaging. Q: What was the Delhi High Court's immediate ruling on RCB's request? A: The Delhi High Court, specifically Justice Saurabh Banerjee, refused to order Uber India to immediately take down the advertisement. The Court ruled that its 'interference was not warranted at this stage.' Q: Why did the court refuse the interim injunction? A: The refusal of the interim injunction indicates that, at this initial stage, the court was not convinced that the alleged disparagement was so clear and severe as to warrant immediate removal of the ad. This suggests the court felt the issue required further adjudication before imposing such a restriction. Q: Does this ruling mean that Uber's ad is definitively legal or that RCB's claims are without merit? A: No, the refusal of the interim injunction does not mean that the court has made a final decision on the legality of the ad or the merits of RCB's claims. It simply means that the court did not find sufficient reason to force Uber to take down the ad while the case is still being heard and decided. The matter is ongoing and will be further adjudicated by the court.
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Delhi HC dismisses IPL team RCB's plea to stop Uber Moto's ad with Travis Head
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed a plea by Indian Premier League cricket team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seeking an interim injunction against an advertisement of bike taxi service Uber Moto 'Ride like a Hyderabaddie ft. Travis Head' that was claimed to be disparaging to RCB. According to RCB's plea for interim injunction, the advertisement, which features Sunrisers Hyderabad's cricketer Travis Head, has the Australian cricketer running towards Bengaluru cricket stadium to vandalise the signage of 'Bengaluru Vs Hyderabad'. Head is seen using spray paint to write 'Royally Challenged' before Bengaluru, making it 'Royally Challenged Bengaluru' which disparages RCB's mark. Justice Saurabh Banerjee declined to grant an interim relief, noting that the court was not inclined to direct Uber to take down its advertisement 'at this stage'. 'The impugned advertisement is in the context of a game- cricket, a game of sportsmanship which in the opinion of this court does not call for any interference of any sort at this stage,' the bench said. A detailed order is yet to be uploaded. In its suit, argued by advocate Shwetasree Majumder, the IPL team said Uber's actions of using Sunrisers Hyderabad's 'Travis Head' as a character in the video disparaged its mark, since Head wrote 'Royally Challenged' Bengaluru in place of 'Bengaluru'. Majumder also argued that UberMoto illegally used a 'deceptive variant' of RCB's trademark in the advertisement which had garnered over 1.3 million views. Uber's counsel said that the general messaging of the advertisement was to promote Uber Moto, in the context of the May 13 match between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bangaluru — a city known for its gridlocked roads and traffic congestion.
