Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has sent two separate legal notices to two Delhi-based real estate firms invoking arbitration clauses over alleged violation of his privacy rights in promotion of construction projects and for delayed delivery of possession of a dwelling unit to him in the national capital.
One of the legal notices, sent by Delhi-based law firm Rizwan Law Associates on behalf of the cricketer, has sought "adequate damages in terms of delay caused in completion of the Project and issuance of the Letter of Possession in the absence of any reasonable cause or extension in timeline."
It has also sought "delivery of proper quality, standard, class and grade of the Apartment to My Client who was promised a premium quality Apartment and has been offered an extremely inferior quality Apartment."
According to the notice, the cricketer had booked a dwelling unit in 2020 at Hauz Khas, New Delhi in one of the projects of a real estate firm.
M/s Brilliant Etoile Private Limited and M/s Uppal Housing Private Limited are the noticees in one of the legal notices pertaining to the delayed possession of the dwelling units.
The second notice of the cricketer was issued to Brilliant Etoile Private Limited only and it pertained to infringement of his privacy rights.
"That this dispute principally concerns with the violation of Intellectual Property Rights with respect to the Personality Rights and misuse of Brand Value of the Celebrity i.e., My Client in contravention to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding dated 24.11.2020, however, My Client reserves the right to add the detailed instances and elaborate in further specificity in the Statement of Claim," the second notice said.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the cricketer was to promote and endorse the project and the MoU expired on November 23, 2023. He is aggrieved by the alleged continued commercial use of the services provided by him, including the use of his photographs on billboards, project site, social media posts, and articles despite the expiry of the MoU, the notice said.
The former India all-rounder said the alleged continued use of his image and others was in complete violation of his Copyright, Personality Rights, and Right to Publicity enshrined under the laws and protected as his Intellectual Property Rights.