Sunrisers Hyderabad's star batter Travis Head has found himself in middle of a legal trouble as Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) ownership company has initiated legal action by moving to the Delhi High Court against Uber. This action stems from an advertisement released by Uber that features Travis Head, engaging in playful pranks directed towards rival teams. In its legal petition, RCB has alleged that Uber's YouTube advertisement, titled 'Baddies in Bengaluru ft. Travis Head', contains content that disparages its registered trademark.
Travis Head embroiled in legal trouble
Following the arguments presented by both parties, the Delhi High Court has decided to reserve its order on RCB's application for an interim injunction. An interim injunction, if granted, would serve as a temporary restraining order, potentially requiring Uber to cease the broadcast or modification of the contested advertisement while the court deliberates further on the matter.
ALSO READ: Abhishek Nayar may join this IPL team after being sacked as Team India's assistant coach
RCB has specifically raised an objection to the phrase 'Royally Challenged' Bengaluru, which was used in the Uber advertisement. The legal representative for the IPL team argued before the Delhi High Court that Uber Moto, in its capacity as a commercial sponsor of the SRH, was not entitled to utilise RCB's registered trademark or any variant that could be considered deceptively similar to it.
In response to the lawsuit, Uber characterised the legal action as 'preposterous' and asserted that the content of the advertisement falls under the purview of commercial free speech, thus arguing that it should not be subject to an injunction or restraining order by the court.
The advertisement in question, designed to promote Uber Moto, features Travis Head, identified as 'Hyderabaddie', dressed in a white shirt and prominently displaying chunky gold chains. In one particular segment of the ad, the Australian opening batsman, known for his dynamic playing style, is depicted with his 'gang' surreptitiously entering a stadium prior to an IPL match scheduled between Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Subsequently, they are shown using spray cans to alter the stadium signage from 'Bengaluru vs Hyderabad' to 'Royally Challenged Bengaluru vs Hyderabad'. Notably, Travis Head has previously played for RCB.
The aforementioned actions depicted in the Uber advertisement have reportedly been met with disapproval from the RCB management. Despite this contention, the promotional video has garnered significant viewership, amassing over 54 million views on the social media platform Instagram.
Representing RCB in the legal proceedings, advocate Shwetasree Majumder argued before the Delhi High Court that the reactions and interpretations of the video leave no ambiguity regarding Uber's intention to disparage the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise. This assertion formed a key part of RCB's case for seeking legal intervention against the advertisement.
"You had millions of creative ways to do advertisements. Did you have to do it using my trademark? And using someone who was earlier with me?" she said.
The legal representative for Uber countered the arguments presented by RCB, suggesting that the IPL team possessed a "severely discounted" sense of humor. In their defense of the advertisement, Uber's advocate asserted that Travis Head, in the context of the ad, was not labeling RCB as "baddies." Instead, the advocate contended that Head was merely playfully implying that he would pose a significant challenge or "headache" to the Bengaluru team during their scheduled match.
"In the past, teams have challenged RCB and there have been media articles saying RCB has been royally challenged in the match," the advocate said.
SRH's next match is against Mumbai Indians which is scheduled to be played on April 17 at the Wankhede stadium