Adidas tackling duplicates of Team India blue jerseys, says general manager
Sportswear firm Adidas India is clamping down against «IP infringements» of its blue India cricket jerseys and closely monitoring the market for duplicates, at a time when the jerseys are selling out within hours during the ongoing ICC World Cup. said general manager Neelendra Singh.
«We have a process in place to clampdown IP infringement.
Our team is proactively monitoring the market for any unauthorised and duplicate merchandise basis which legal action is taken against,» Singh told ET in an exclusive interview.
Adidas India, the local arm of the German sportswear company, signed an exclusive kit partner deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India estimated at ₹350 crore, over a five-year term till 2028. The deal, formalised in June, made Adidas the official supplier for all men's, women's and youth India teams sportswear.
Aiming to capitalise on the deal, Adidas has introduced jerseys at entry-level price of ₹999 and tied up with quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Swiggy and BigBasket to push sales.
This has helped Adidas «stay ahead of the counterfeit market and reduce its impact,» said Singh. Amid fan frenzy during the India matches, overall sales of the three-stripes jerseys are estimated to have touched ₹150 crore in the ongoing World Cup, industry executives said.
Besides, the jerseys are being sold beyond company-owned stores, website, app and retail franchise. «What makes counterfeit products attractive is pricing, India being a price sensitive market.
The best way to tackle duplicates is by introducing a tiered pricing strategy,» Singh said. A report by credit rating agency Crisil and Authentication Solution Providers' Association estimated the counterfeiting market in India as most
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