CHENNAI: Very soon, ‘Captain Cool’ T-shirts will replace ‘Captain America’. There might be cricket bats and balls with the same name. Captain Cool has become more than just a moniker for former India skipper M S Dhoni. He redefined captaincy with his unique way. The words reflected his on-field leadership and over a period of time transcended into a philosophy of calmness, a unique space only Dhoni ruled.
So much has Captain Cool been part of Dhoni that even after years of retirement, the sobriquet remained as a trademark, literally and legally now. “Delighted to share a recent development from the field of trademark law that underscores the evolving role of personality rights and acquired distinctiveness in overcoming relative grounds for refusal,” said Mansi Aggarwal, who was representing Dhoni. “Our trademark application for the mark “CAPTAIN COOL”, filed on behalf of Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has been accepted and advertised, notwithstanding the existence of a prior registration.”
The Trade Mark Registry portal said that the application has been accepted and advertised. The trademark was published on its journal on June 16 and the date of application was June 5. However, going by Dhoni’s lawyers’ post on social media, the journey was not easy.
The registry said that the trademark was in existence and might confuse people but the legal team argued that this sobriquet is closely linked with Dhoni. Mansi’s post said that “The Registry acknowledged that the sobriquet is not just a nickname but a part of the applicant’s commercial identity and public image, reinforced by media, consumer perception, and global recognition and hence is unlikely to cause confusion.”
The trademark is expected to be used in sports and related field. Dhoni is the only India captain to win both T20 (2007) and ODI World Cups (2011).