Will China's new food safety law impact athlete sponsorship deals?
Wednesday, 25th March 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
In what looks at first like a big laugh, a Chinese businessman is suing track and field star Liu Xiang because the poor guy had an accident in a car that he says he bought because Liu endorsed it (Shanghaiist). He collided with a truck, the airbag failed to inflate and he banged his nose on the windshield, reportedly incurring about RMB 1,000 in medical expenses. This Reuters story doesn't say what kind of car the injured man was driving, but Liu is the face of Cadillac in China."Liu's advert had a great influence on my choice of car," Yang Jiguang told New Legal Report in Jiangxi province (translation from Reuters). "I want to send a warning message to all the celebrities that they can not only focus on the payment and neglect their social responsibility and public trust."
Should this guy...
be responsible for this?
Here's the not so funny part: The suit could be a test case of sorts for a recently passed food safety law that holds celebrities liable for any defective products they endorse. China's new food safety law was passed February 28 and goes into effect June 1. The law only applies to food products, but if the Chinese government is this desperate to use celebrities to send a message about product safety, it could extend to other areas. And it's easy to see that impacting the recent torrent of deals that international sports stars have been signing in China. How would Octagon have felt about Michael Phelps' deal with Mazda in China if they knew he could be sued for non-inflating airbags in the People's Republic?
Movie director Feng Xiaogeng, one of many celebrities who hold seats on China's top political advisory committee, has spoken out against the law, saying, "If stars should shoulder joint liability, then quality inspection agencies and media which publicize the ads should be held liable, too."
Related: Star advisor grumbles about China's food safety law (Xinhua)
Celebrity row is "aiding food safety" (China Daily)
Liu Xiang/Cadillac images: Auto.anhuinews.com
Tags: Cadillac, food safety law, Liu Xiang, Michael Phelps, sports marketing