Virat Kohli sued by Nike for violating contract

Virat Kohli

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has been sued by sports apparel giant Nike for apparently violating his endorsement contract.

Taking cognisance of the case filed by Nike, Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh of the Karnataka High Court has ordered the cricketer to maintain status quo over the next four weeks, in his contract with Nike.

Nike alleged a breach of contract by Kohli, as he disagreed to continue as brand ambassador until 2014. Nike had signed a contract with Kohli for the period of August 1, 2008 and July 31, 2013, a five-year-deal which could have been extended by a period of one year, with certain conditions.

Kohli was paid Rs.1.42 crore for exclusive endorsement rights for the five-year period.

According to a Nike representative, Kohli had “made certain self-serving and baseless allegations with respect to implementation of the contract” and he further rejected the extension of the contract.

Nike has been associated with the cricketer over a long period of time and had first entered into a contract with him in 2007. Nike claimed that they were planning to extend the contract by a year into 2014 and also continue their association further, reported India Today.

Aditya Sondhi, who is representing Nike in the case, has appealed to the court to disallow Kohli the opportunity to negotiate an endorsement deal with any other company, until the duration of the contract is completed.