MUMBAI: An official with the Mumbai Police said on Friday that a FIR had been filed against unidentified individuals for utilising famed cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's name, photo, and voice for the advertising of medicinal items without his permission.
According to him, Tendulkar's aide filed a complaint with the West Region Cyber Police Station on Thursday. The complainant stated that he came across web adverts for a medication company claiming that the master batter backed their pharmaceutical line.
According to multiple media sources, Sachin Tendulkar's personal assistant discovered an advertisement for an oil firm on Facebook that exploited Tendulkar's picture for promotion, saying that the product was approved by the senior athlete, and similar advertisements were also discovered on Instagram. The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell has opened an investigation into this situation under different parts of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including cheating and forgery, as well as pertinent portions of the IT Act.
He also discovered a website, sachinhealth.in, that promoted these items by utilising Tendulkar's photo.Tendulkar told his aide to initiate legal action since he had never given permission to the corporation to use his name and images, which was causing a smear on his image, according to the lawsuit.
According to the official, a First Information Report was filed against anonymous individuals under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), and 500 (defamation), as well as the Information Technology Act, and additional investigation was underway.
"We have noticed that there have been attempts to impersonate Sachin Tendulkar's attributes in an unauthorized manner, for selling products and services not associated with him. These are being done with a deliberate and malicious intention of misleading gullible citizens to buy unauthorised products and services online. We have lodged an official complaint with the Cyber Cell department and have highlighted these to social media platforms where such misleading advertisements are being broadcast," SRTSM Management Team issued a statement in this regard.
This is not the first time that someone has misappropriated Sachin Tendulkar's image or voice for product endorsement, duping consumers online. Earlier in 2020, Tendulkar's team issued a statement declaring that they would take legal action against firms and individuals who used his name and photo for commercial purposes without his authorization. Tendulkar had filed a complaint against a casino in Goa at the time for using a modified portrait of him in promotional material.
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