Character Merchandising Vis-à-vis IPR

When you hear the tagline "Diamond is Forever", which brand comes to your mind? When you hear the tagline "Its Finger Lickin' Good", you immediately associate it with Colonel Sanders and the products associated with it, i.e. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and when you hear the tagline, "Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai", which Indian celebrity comes to your mind? When we look at the products or hear these taglines, we tend to make a preconceived notion about the implied guarantee and the worth of the products associated. All of us at some point of time have been guilty of splurging money on products which we hardly use but we buy it because of our favourite celebrity endorsement! While making such purchases, one hardly comprehends the merchandising business behind this. This article aims at highlighting the legal issues in character merchandising, including the leading court decisions.