Former professional footballer Roy Keane is set to launch legal action against Paddy Power after the Irish bookmaker used his image in a recent marketing campaign.
Keane, who now serves as assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, was last month mocked up as Scottish warrior William Wallace from the film ‘Braveheart’ poster and his face painted with an Irish Tricolour on a billboard.
The poster was displayed in Dublin ahead of the 2016 European Championship qualifying match between the Republic of Ireland and Scotland.
The poster also featured the text “You may take our points but at least we have our freedom (ya wee pussies)”, referencing Scotland’s rejection of independence in a referendum last year.
According to the Irish Times newspaper, Keane has filed a High Court action in Dublin against the bookmaker, stating that the poster infringed his image rights.
The former Manchester United player has hired Irish law firm A&L Goodbody to represent him during the case.
Although neither Keane nor his agent was willing to comment on the case, a Paddy Power spokesman confirmed it was subject to a lawsuit over the matter.
“It’s with the lawyers, so obviously we can’t talk about it, but hopefully they won’t take our freedom to have a bit of craic,” the spokesman said.
Paddy Power is well known for its risqué marketing campaigns, with the bookmaker last year attracting criticism for an advert that featured Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of culpable homicide.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that the advert generated a total of 5,525 complaints, a record-high for the regulatory body.
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
