BCCI could get into legal scrap with ball manufacturer

The Indian cricket board could be involved in another legal tussle, this time with a ball manufacturer.

The board has alleged that Stanford Cricket Industries (based in Meerut) is using the BCCI’s proprietary logo on cricket balls that are available for retail sale. Stanford Test Special cricket ball is approved by the BCCI, but only for domestic matches in the country.

The Indian cricket board has accused Stanford Cricket Industries of misusing the BCCI insignia by printing it on cricket balls that are sold in the open market.

The board claims this is an infringement of its intellectual property rights and believes that Stanford is advertising and marketing its own products as though they are approved by the BCCI.

It is learnt that the Law Office of Nandan Kamath, which represents the board’s legal interests, is sending a notice to the firm. The BCCI not only wants Stanford Cricket Industries to cease distributing balls containing the board’s logo, it has demanded a complete account of profits made by the company through such product sales.

The BCCI is likely to ask for adequate compensation, the details of which are not clear yet. Stanford Cricket Industries has apparently been asked to revert by February 20.

When contacted, Anil Sareen, the CEO of the group, told DNA that he hadn’t received any legal notice. He, however, contested the BCCI’s claims that the company had violated a contract.

“We are fully aware that we are not authorised to use the BCCI logo unless we distribute the products to its affiliates like the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association or Karnataka State Cricket Association,” Sareen said. Hehas stressed that the group should not be blamed if private coaches have been distributing Stanford products.

It is understood that a considerable number of cricket balls discarded by the BCCI at the end of every season are available in the market, a point that the company has been trying to reiterate.

“I can guarantee that we haven’t been selling them elsewhere,” Sareen said. “We are manufacturers and have full respect for the BCCI rules. Supplying cricket balls is not an easy job. You won’t find too many sports goods manufacturers around. And these are special balls which can’t be produced by every other ball manufacturer. We export sport products to various countries and are not keen to put the BCCI logo on our products. If we have been given certain instructions, it’s our duty to follow them.”