Football icon, Pele, is to sue famous electronics company, Samsung, for $30 million after it used a lookalike of him in an advertisement in the New York Times.
Pele, 75, whose real names are Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is considered the best footballer of all time – leading the Samba Boys to three FIFA World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
According to BBC Business, legal papers lodged at the U.S. District Court in Chicago outline the action to be taken. The advert was for ultra high-definition televisions, and it’s suggested the South Korean firm used the lookalike without the permission of the former Santos man.
It’s reported by the same source that talks broke down between Samsung and Pele’s representatives in 2013, as the electronics giant was hoping to use the former Brazil star to help promote the brand.
The complaint filed stated the segment in the paper includes a man who “very closely resembles” Pele. It’s also noted the action being performed in the advert – a scissor kick- is synonymous with the former footballer, “perfected and famously used by Pele.”
BBC said Pele will be represented by Frederick Sperling, who has been the lawyer for basketball legend Michael Jordan in the past in a similar case. The former Chicago Bulls man successfully sued Dominick’s Finer Foods after it used his identity in a segment in Sports Illustrated without appropriate authorisation.
With 77 goals in 91 games, Pele is his nation’s all-time record goalscorer.
