Brazil’s football federation said an advert campaign by Hyundai, which promises new car buyers an extra year of warranty if the national team wins the World Cup, "breaches its intellectual property rights," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. A Hyundai ad playing on the word “hexa,” meaning “sixth” in Portuguese, promises that the company "will increase its usual five-year guarantee to six" on new cars sold between Jan. 1 and July 13 if the host nation wins the competition. The ad led to a complaint from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). Legal Dir Carlos Eugenio contacted the carmaker and "asked it to pull the campaign, arguing that it’s using intellectual property that belongs to the CBF." The body’s official car partner is Volkswagen. Hyundai spokesperson Meeyoung Song said the company "isn’t commenting." Volkswagen "didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment." The advertisement for the “HEXAGARANTIA” remains on Hyundai Brazil’s YouTube channel, and has been viewed more than 85,000 times. There is "also an official website for the promotion." Hyundai is an official sponsor of FIFA and "is allowed to use branding associated with the tournament," although the CBF said that it "can’t use references to the Brazil team in its promotion" (BLOOMBERG, 3/11).
