February 2020 Issue Apparel February 2020 issue | Page 102

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
LICENSING IN SPORTS
India has become a market of great interest
for global brands including the Fédération
Internationale de Football Association (FIFA),
Real Madrid, The Smiley Company, and the
National Basketball Association (NBA). Noticing
their success in the game, Indian brands have
now jumped onto the bandwagon too. With
their growing retail and consumer interest
in India, Manchester United has established
licensed academies and now sells a wide range
of merchandise in India. With the increasing
popularity of sporting merchandise including
apparel, Indian icons such as Mahendra Singh
Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Yuvraj Singh, too, have
joined the fray.
West Indian cricketer Dwayne Bravo, who
joined the league with the brand ‘DJ Bravo 47’,
told The Economic Times, “I have my biggest
fan base in India. There are more people here
who love me and I wanted to share (with them)
something which is very close to my heart too.”
In fact, the official jerseys of Indian sports teams
are priced anywhere between R699 and R3,499.
Having said this, discounting cricket, football,
and kabaddi, sports merchandising is yet to
catch on in India. In any case, the demand for
sports merchandise is directly proportional to
the popularity of the sport in the country, and in
that matter, cricket rules the roost in India, with
football and kabaddi slowly catching up.
94
I APPAREL I
LAWS THAT GOVERN THE INDUSTRY
Sobti opined, “Indian laws are gearing up.
There is robust IP protection for copyright and
trademark; infringement is a criminal offence.
Online marketplaces, especially Amazon, are
serious about protection and take immediate
action if the brand owner reports infringement.
The biggest challenge facing the offline sales
model is that of counterfeits available in street
markets. It is only if the brand owner is
proactive can they control piracy by some
percentage. Green Gold Animation (Chhota
Bheem) has its own on-ground team that
works with agencies and police for raids at
infringement establishments.”
Commenting on this, George said, “The law
exists and is robust, but the point is that piracy is
rife, too, because it takes years to bring pirates
to book via the legal route. Piracy exists in some
of the most advanced markets too; but the truth
of the matter is that there exists a robust demand
for authentic, non-street piracy products as well.
The more practical approach is to make authentic
licensed products available at the right price and
retail touchpoints to the right audience.”
While merchandising driven by celebrities
seems to be a good, profit-making business
opportunity, the other categories will take some
time to catch on. However, with consistent
investments from other players, the trends will
eventually turn in favour of the industry.
@Shutterstock.com
“THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING
THE OFFLINE SALES MODEL IS
THAT OF COUNTERFEITS
AVAILABLE IN STREET MARKETS.”
February 2020