Ambush Marketing: Game Within a Game

By Arul George Scaria

'Ambush marketing' can be described as an irregular type of strategic marketing where companies try to associate themselves with a sponsored event, without paying the sponsorship fees. Through their acts, these companies try to create an impression upon the consumers that they are connected to the event. During this endeavor to get associated with the event, the ambush marketers transgress various intellectual property rights associated with the event. As most jurisdictions do not have specific legislation to combat ambush marketing, they are forced to rely on traditional laws of trademark and passing off. This volume seeks to survey the different ambush marketing practices found today in various parts of the world, including India. It examines the role played by the existing legal regimes in combating this phenomenon and discusses the possible solutions for this problem, especially the role of event-specific legislations. The first chapter begins with the importance of intellectual property rights in the information era. It discusses importance of trademark and its relationship to the development of brands, vital for understanding ambush marketing. The second chapter investigates the real scope and extent of ambush marketing. It discusses the problems posed by the phenomenon and its detrimental effects. Chapter 3 analyses the effectiveness of traditional legal means in combating ambush marketing. It discusses the scope of actions for trademark and copyright infringement, as well as for passing off. This chapter also examines how far the traditional measures are effective when ambush marketers use the internet as a medium. The last chapter examines the role of event-specific legislation against ambush marketing and discusses other possible solutions.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195693078
• ISBN13: 9780195693072
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 217 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.2" x 0.9" x 9.1"