Hillside, the parent company of Bet365 and a New Media Malta, was directed by Denmark’s Maritime and Commercial High Court to proffer compensation to more than 20 Danish sports stars for the unauthorized use of their images and names. The case involved 23 sportspeople in all, who, as per the court, had their names and images unconsentedly shared on social media platforms.
The court instructed the company to compensate the affected parties to the tune of DKK 4.7 million, which amounts to just over $692,000. As per Denmark’s active Marketing Act, each involved sportsperson was granted compensation in regard to the violations, an explanation provided by the court.
The Maritime and Commercial High Court of Denmark specified that the contraventions spanned from February 21, 2019, to March 11, 2021. Throughout this period, Bet365 disseminated various promotional posts through its Facebook and Twitter accounts. These posts contained the images and names of multiple Danish sportspersons, which the court established were shared “without consent,” thereby infringing regulations.
“From 21 February 2019 to 11 March 2021, numerous posts were distributed by BET365 on their company profiles on Facebook and Twitter. These posts unconsentedly displayed the individual names and/or photos of sports personalities,“
stated a court ruling against Hillside from the Danish Maritime and Commercial Court
Compulsory Compensation to be Paid by the Operator
Despite Bet365 arguing that the use of the disputed images and names was essentially “for editorial purposes,” the court differed. The Maritime and Commercial Court of Denmark explained in its ruling that the athletes’ names and images were utilized for “marketing purposes,” which led to the verdict of monetary restitution from the company. The amounts of compensation fluctuated mostly between DKK 50,000 ($7,400) and DKK 100,000 ($14,800). However, higher compensation was ordained in instances where the image of an athlete was used more than once.
The most substantial compensation was allocated to Christian Eriksen, a renowned Danish footballer who is currently enlisted with Manchester United of the English Premier League. The court highlighted his name or image was featured in Bet365’s social media posts on 29 separate instances, which justified a compensation of DKK 1.5 million ($220,600). Furthermore, Kasper Peter Schmeichel, who featured 10 times in diverse social media posts, and notable athletic figure Simon Thorup Kjaer were awarded compensations of DKK 500,000 ($73,600) and DKK 300,000 ($44,130), respectively.
