|
|
Indian team's tobacco logo not breaking NZ anti-smoke laws
AFP
15 January 1999
WELLINGTON, Jan 15 (AFP) - The visiting Indian cricket team is not
breaking New Zealand's anti-smoking laws despite Wills logos on their
bats and uniforms, a minister said Friday.
Associate Health Minister Tuariki Delamere said the Ministry of Health
had decided, after getting a legal opinion from the Crown Law Office,
that the logos do not breach the Smokefree Environments Act because
they do not advertise a tobacco product on sale in New Zealand.
``There is no brand of tobacco product available for sale in New
Zealand that relates to the logos. Nor are the logos or names being
used as a tobacco product trademark in New Zealand,'' he said.
Delamere had previously told the Sunday Star-Times newspaper that the
logos almost certainly breached the act. He was roundly criticised by
opposition parties for taking a ``politically correct'' stance to
extremes.
WD and HO Wills is a multinational tobacco company which markets Wills
cigarettes in India. But New Zealand Cricket defended the logo worn by
the Indian team, saying it belongs to a subsidiary company which
manufactures sports equipment.
Though Wills has a New Zealand subsidiary, called British American
Tobacco New Zealand, it does not market cigarettes here under the
Wills brand.
Test and one-day international matches went ahead after the ministry's
investigation began, without any consideration given to removing the
logos from the Indian team uniforms.
Copyright 1998-2001 AFP. All rights reserved. All information displayed on
this page (dispatches, photographs, logos), with the exception of CricInfo
logos and trademarks, are protected by intellectual property rights owned
by Agence France Presse. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce,
modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any
of the contents of this section without prior written consent of
Agence-France-Presse.
|
|
|