The BCCI has found itself at the center of a trademark infringement case following the introduction of an AI-generated robotic dog during the IPL. The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the cricketing body on Wednesday following a plea filed by the publishers of renowned children’s comic book Champak. The matter has been posted for a hearing on July 9 and both BCCI and Indian Premier League have been asked to file written statements within four weeks.
The four-legged tech marvel had joined the Indian Premier league last week — interacting with major players such as MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya even before it was christened. The BCCI eventually announced that it would be named Champak ahead of the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings clash on Sunday.
The creature has been spotted scampering across the match grounds over the past few days — leaving several players stunned or confused. It is designed to walk, run and jump, and even carries a built-in camera to deliver a unique viewing experience for fans.
“Champak (robotic dog) as an entertainment feature during IPL matches, which are broadcast nationwide to over 20 crore viewers, resulted in irreparable harm to the plaintiff by diluting its well-established brand, tarnishing its goodwill, and unjustly enriching themselves. This constitutes dilution by way of tarnishment, causing injury to the distinctiveness and positive public perception painstakingly built by the plaintiff over decades,” the plea said.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee also observed on Wednesday that the Champak brand name had existed since ‘eternity’ and asked BCCI and IPL to file written statements in response to the plea. The court did not pass an interim order (as sought by the plaintiffs) to stop the defendants from using the mark.
The incident has social media in splits with a concerning number of people insisting that they had never heard of the magazine in question.
“Champak is also the English name of चंपा (Champa) tree so the owners of the magazine aren’t the original copyright owners of the name either. Next Champak magazine will get sued by botanists for copying the name of a plant,” wrote one X user.
“He is going to file a trademark infringement suit against Champak Magazine,” said another while sharing a GIF of the eponymous Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah character.
It is pertinent to mention that both these arguments had also come up before the Delhi High court on Wednesday. Senior advocate J Sai Deepak, who appeared for BCCI, had opposed the plea saying Champak was the name of a flower and people associated the robotic dog with a character of a TV series and not the magazine.