Prithvi Shaw's team seeking 1 crore compensation from Swiggy, Freecharge for Tweets
When Prithvi Shaw became the youngest player to score a century on debut for India against West Indies at Rajkot, there were plenty of congratulatory messages but a couple of them have landed the respective organisations in trouble. Swiggy and FreeCharge have both been sent cease and desist notices by Baseline Ventures, who are seeking compensation of 1 crore from each of them.
The sports marketing firm manages the commercial interests of the teenage batsman and according to ET, Baseline says that they are using Shaw's name without authorisation from the company, who have exclusive rights. Tuhin Mishra, MD of Baseline Ventures called the tweets "disappointing".
"This is not only unfair to the player's achievements but also to other genuine current sponsors and potential sponsors of Prithvi who pay to associate and play by the rule books. We will be taking legal recourse against other firms too, who have resorted to similar ambush marketing communications," Mishra told ET.
Swiggy's spokesperson confirmed to ET that they have received the notice and the legal team was evaluating their next course of action.
What were the tweets that led to this?
Shaw signed a multi-year deal with sports marketing firm Baseline Ventures in 2017 and they currently manage all the commercial interests of the Indian international.
After making his debut in the first Test against West Indies at Rajkot, the 18-year-old opening batsman dominated the headlines as he became the youngest Indian debutant to score a century in his maiden Test. His century along with one from Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja helped India post a massive total, which helped the hosts win the first Test by an innings and 272 runs to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.