IPL -Franchise RCB sues Uber for alleged abuses of brands in viral advertisement that promote bicycle taxi | Company Business News

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, the owner of the IPL -Franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), moved the Delhi High Court against Uber India Systems PVT. Ltd, claim unauthorized use and distortion of one of its popular slogans in an ad that promotes bicycle tax service. The lawsuit, which was filed on the advertisement entitled “Baddies in Bengaluru”, challenges the content and intent of the advertisement. The ad, released on April 5, contains the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) player Travis Head – a former RCB team member – and has so far received more than 1.3 million views on YouTube. RCB’s lawyer appears before Justice Saurabh Banerjee and argued that the franchise has a registered trademark for ‘Royal Challengers Bengaluru’ and the slogan “ee sala cup Namde” which means “this year the cup is ours-is a widely recognized slogan under his canadays. Trademarks are, as it contains a fictional character-played by head-what a stadium’s logistics room and the words ‘Royal Challengers Bangalore’ spray, a deliberate distortion of the official name. is unmistakable. In response, Uber’s lawyer strongly disputed the claims and argued that RCB “severely underestimated the sense of humor of the Indian public – including that of their own fanbase”. Uber positioned the advertisement as a light -hearted promotional campaign, intended to promote Uber Moto as a faster alternative in the notorious traffic of Bengaluru. The advertisement is in the context of May 13 IPL collision between RCB and SRH, and simply encourages viewers to consider bicycle taxis to reach the stadium on time. Uber’s lawyer addressed the role of Travis Head, and he made it clear that the player introduced himself with a pun – ‘Hyderabadi’ – which is not intended as a slurp or negative character. On the contrary, it suggests metaphorically that Sunrisers will “challenge” Sunrisers Hyderabad RCB in the upcoming match. The lawyer rejected the allegation of the violation of brands, saying: ‘There is no direct use of the registered trademarks of the plaintiff such as’ Royal Challengers Bengaluru’. The reference to ‘Bengaluru vs. Hyderabad’ is generic and does not come down to offense. ” First published: 17 Apr 2025, 12:05 IST