When is a fencing star not a fencing star? That seems to be the crux of an unusual court case in Shanghai, with 2004 Olympic fencing silver medallist Wang Lei filing a lawsuit against Volkswagen for allegedly using a masked image of himself in action for a sedan promotional ad.

Wang claims the picture, posted on giant ad boards promoting the Touran car, was used without his permission, and is filing for RMB1.1m in compensation. The suit, lodged at Shanghai Putuo District Court for alleged violation of image rights, is against Volkswagen Shanghai, its JV partner SAIC-Volkswagen Sales Co, and the ad agency Hangzhou Shangguang Simei Advertising Co.

In its defence, Volkswagen has said that the identity of the pictured fencer, who is wearing a mask, is unidentifiable, and that it is not actually Wang in the photo. Witnesses for Wang reportedly said that the pictured fencer is Wang because "he is a little fat for a fencer." The case continues.

Last update : 02-04-2008

Keywords : Wang Lei, Volkswagen, SAIC, Touran, Automobile, Lawsuit, Law

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