BCCI condemns use of IPL name in poker league

Monday 16th of October 2017

India’s cricket regulator, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent a notice to british businessman Raj Kundra for the use of “IPL” in promoting Match Indian Poker League, local media reports.

The BCCI legal notice, sent on August 25, asked Kundra to refrain from calling his upcoming poker league “Match IPL”.

“The BCCI has recently been made aware and thereby shocked to learn, of the International Federation of Poker’ and Viaan Industries Limited’s blatantly unlicensed and illegal use of the ‘IPL’ proprietary name to promote the Match Indian Poker League on various platforms,” wrote the BCCI legal notice, which went on to state that the ‘IPL’ name is owned by the BCCI.

Kundra argued however, saying that “The use of term “IPL” in conjunction with the terms “MATCH” and “INDIAN POKER LEAGUE” is inherently distinctive and is verily allowed under law.”

“More so, with the artistic elements, colour combination et al., the label mark is even more distinctive and is easily distinguishable,” he added.

Kundra launched the new poker league in collaboration with International Federation of Poker (IFP) in September this year.

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