milky_way
05-29-2003, 01:46 AM
Yao sues Coke for 20 cents
May 26, 2003
CHINESE basketball star Yao Ming has filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for unlawfully using his image and is demanding a public apology and one yuan (20 cents) in compensation.
Yao's management agency said in a statement on the Houston Rockets centre's website today that "the core of the lawsuit is to protect Yao's legal rights, while the amount of compensation is less important".
"The unauthorised use of Yao's image has already harmed his reputation," it added.
The indictment was filed in a Shanghai court on Friday.
On May 15, Yao released a statement claiming that the Coca-Cola Company was using his image without permission and demanded it be removed from their products.
The spat stems from just released commemorative Coke bottles in China which feature a photo of Yao and fellow Chinese national team stars Mengke Bateer and Guo Shiqiang wearing their national team shirts.
"I have never permitted Coca-Cola to use my image to promote their products," Yao said in the statement carried by Xinhua news agency.
"I require Coca-Cola to withdraw immediately all the products bearing my image and all promotion materials which use my names or images."
The news comes after Yao signed a multi-year deal earlier this month to become PepsiCo's image frontman, making him the first Chinese athlete to secure a major worldwide marketing deal.
"We will respect the court's judgement procedures and final result. The lawsuit won't have any impact on Yao's training and matches," said Team Yao, his management agency.
Coke told the Shanghai Daily Monday it had yet to receive any notice of the suit, but pointed out that the image they used was of the national team, not just Yao.
As a co-sponsor of the Chinese team, Coke is authorised to use images of the squad as long as they contain pictures of at least three team members.
Yao, the first pick in last year's National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, is now in Shanghai after his rookie season in the US league.
The rising NBA star, who has already pocketed millions of dollars from endorsement deals with Visa, Apple Computer and China Unicom, is joining his national team for the Asian championships in China's northeastern city of Harbin this summer.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,6495266-23769,00.html
May 26, 2003
CHINESE basketball star Yao Ming has filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for unlawfully using his image and is demanding a public apology and one yuan (20 cents) in compensation.
Yao's management agency said in a statement on the Houston Rockets centre's website today that "the core of the lawsuit is to protect Yao's legal rights, while the amount of compensation is less important".
"The unauthorised use of Yao's image has already harmed his reputation," it added.
The indictment was filed in a Shanghai court on Friday.
On May 15, Yao released a statement claiming that the Coca-Cola Company was using his image without permission and demanded it be removed from their products.
The spat stems from just released commemorative Coke bottles in China which feature a photo of Yao and fellow Chinese national team stars Mengke Bateer and Guo Shiqiang wearing their national team shirts.
"I have never permitted Coca-Cola to use my image to promote their products," Yao said in the statement carried by Xinhua news agency.
"I require Coca-Cola to withdraw immediately all the products bearing my image and all promotion materials which use my names or images."
The news comes after Yao signed a multi-year deal earlier this month to become PepsiCo's image frontman, making him the first Chinese athlete to secure a major worldwide marketing deal.
"We will respect the court's judgement procedures and final result. The lawsuit won't have any impact on Yao's training and matches," said Team Yao, his management agency.
Coke told the Shanghai Daily Monday it had yet to receive any notice of the suit, but pointed out that the image they used was of the national team, not just Yao.
As a co-sponsor of the Chinese team, Coke is authorised to use images of the squad as long as they contain pictures of at least three team members.
Yao, the first pick in last year's National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, is now in Shanghai after his rookie season in the US league.
The rising NBA star, who has already pocketed millions of dollars from endorsement deals with Visa, Apple Computer and China Unicom, is joining his national team for the Asian championships in China's northeastern city of Harbin this summer.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,6495266-23769,00.html