BCCI has no right over players' endorsement: Adidas

Global sports good manufacturer Adidas today said the Indian board has no rights over personal endorsement contracts of a player, countering rival Nike's claim that it derived rights from the board to use Sachin Tendulkar's name and image for advertising purposes.

In their ongoing battle over Tendulkar at the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), Adidas contended that the board would have to enter into a separate agreement with them in a case-to-case basis, which players can even refuse.

"What is the authority of BCCI [Board of Control of Cricket in India] for granting such rights of Tendulkar's [to Nike]," the Adidas counsel said, commenting on Nike's reply in which the sportswear firm has contended that "it believed it had derived rights from BCCI" to use Tendulkar's name and image, both still and motion picture. "They can use the BCCI name and logo but not use individual's name," the Adidas counsel said.

The counsel also claimed that Nike was not an official sponsor of the Indian cricket team. "As per the documents, Sahara India Airlines is the official sponsor of the cricket team ... It does not mention Nike as a sponsor."

Following the commission's direction, Adidas submitted its contract with Tendulkar but without Clause 3 of the agreement. Clause 3 deals with the amount it paid to the cricketer for endorsements.

The BCCI also submitted its contract with the players. The MRTPC bench headed by Justice OP Dwivedi directed Nike to produce a copy of its agreement with BCCI and has listed the matter for the second week of August.