Mumbai: MS Dhoni got a step closer to turning the ‘Captain Cool’ moniker he enjoyed when he was India skipper into a trademark. His application under the trademark law for exclusive rights over the epithet was “accepted and advertised”.
Accordingly, the ‘Captain Cool’ tag proposed to be used by Dhoni for ‘sports training, providing sports training facilities, sports coaching services’ was added to the Trademark Journal of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks in Kolkata.
The application initially faced an objection as a company, Prabha Skill Sports Pvt Ltd. had applied for the tag. Dhoni’s legal team successfully argued that his reputation and identity were tied to the moniker much before and it was well-established through media recognition, public usage and consumer perception.
“This matter serves as a relevant case study in how personal branding and acquired distinctiveness can be effectively leveraged in trademark prosecution, even when facing earlier conflicting marks,” Mansi Aggarwal, the lawyer representing Dhoni, posted on LinkedIn.
It is understood that it will become a registered trademark if, after advertisement, it is unchallenged over a four-month window.
Optimisation of personality rights by famous sportspersons is less common in India. US basketball great, LeBron James has ‘King James’ trademarked across varied segments, from sports equipment to clothing.
The other great American basketballer, Michael Jordan, has the ‘Jumpman’ logo, which depicts him mid-air to slam dunk, protected, not only on his line of Nike shoes but also on a wide range of merchandise.
Jamaican sprinter and multiple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has extensively trademarked his iconic victory pose, at home and across jurisdictions.
Dhoni first earned the sobriquet of Captain Cool when he led an Indian team of young hopefuls to the T20 World Cup in 2007. Handing the final over to Joginder Sharma with 13 runs to defend and succeeding, his composure as captain in the tournament showed his ability to stay calm in pressure cooker situations.
Dhoni led India to the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, besides captaining Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles. With the bat, pressure never got to Dhoni in a run chase as he masterminded last over wins, and often last ball wins, in run chases.
With a poker face as the camera panned on him in crunch situations, the ‘Captain Cool’ title grew on Dhoni. Now, he wants to cash in.
