Dutch tennis player Richard Krajicek filed suit against
Rolex on June 16 in U.S. District Court in NY, claiming that
the company "didn't have his consent to use him in a
Wimbledon-themed TV ad," according to Daniel Kaplan of the
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, who writes that the "dispute centers
on what right" Wimbledon sponsor Rolex has to use footage of
players competing in the event. Krajicek is "asking for
damages of more than $100,000, plus all of Rolex's profits
since the ads began airing" in June '99. Octagon, Krajicek's
rep firm, said that the case "could set a precedent on the
right of athletes to control their commercial images."
Kaplan notes that the ad also features Boris Becker, Martina
Navratilova, Bjorn Borg and Chris Evert, and that all except
for Becker and Krajicek are clients of IMG, Wimbledon's
marketing agency (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/17 issue).
MILLER TIME: In RI, Mike Szostak reported that Miller
Brewing, "one of only two title sponsors in the history" of
the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, "will
back" the event through 2002 (Providence JOURNAL, 7/17).
