In a latest news coming from Down Under, reports suggest that Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar has filed a civil suit against a Sydney-based bat manufacturing company.
The law suit accuses the manufacturer of using Tendulkar’s name and image to promote the products without adhering to the contract between the two parties. Tendulkar has now demanded $2 million to be paid as royalties for the same.
In the court papers filed this month and reviewed by Reuters, Tendulkar has said that Spartan Sports International agreed in 2016 to pay him at least $1 million a year to use his image, logo and promotional services to sell “Sachin by Spartan” sporting goods and clothing.
The former Indian batsman went about promoting the products, and appeared at a range of promotional events in places like London, Mumbai among a few other, the documents showed.
However, Tendulkar alleges that by September 2018, Spartan failed to make a single payment. And though he made a formal request for payment, none was made which forced him to end the agreement, asking the company to stop using his name and likeness. However, Spartan still continued to do so, according to the documents.
Spartan is one of the leading bats manufacture in the world as has some to the biggest names in the world of cricket under their banner. Their brand ambassadors include the likes of David Warner, MS Dhoni and Chirs Gayle, to name a few.
Meanwhile, Warner’s manager has also confirmed that though the Aussie opener intends to honour his agreement with the brand, he expect the Sydney-based company to pay up in full or risk more legal action. “Warner has got a contract with them and if they don’t pay, we’d probably do the same thing (as Tendulkar),” James Erskine told the Sydney Morning Herald. “If people don’t pay you under a contract, you are free to sue them for the money you think you have been owed.
“We have a clause in that contract which states that if they don’t pay, we can terminate the contract. At the moment David Warner has no problem with Spartan and I don’t think Spartan have any problem with David Warner."
Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Glyn Kirk
