Golfer Choi, bank reach 10 million won settlement on publicity rights

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korean golf star Choi Kyoung-ju and Woori Bank
accepted a court-mediated settlement giving Choi 10 million won (US$7,600) in
compensation for the bank's violation of his publicity rights, court officials
said Tuesday.
Choi, the most renowned male golfer in the country, filed a lawsuit in May last
year against the local bank which provided a fixed-period deposit account
offering additional interest rate of 2 to 6.05 percent when a Korean golfer wins
one of the four major PGA tours -- Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA
Championship.
Publicity rights recognize that individuals are entitled to dictate commercial
use of their name and image. Woori did not specifically use Choi's name in
promoting the deposit, but the 38-year-old golfer, with eight PGA titles, argued
that he is the only South Korean who has a chance of winning a major title. South
Korean courts have issued different ruling on publicity rights cases.
The Seoul Central District Court had recommended in November last year that the
two parties drop the case with a compensation of 10 million won.
"The court did not deal with the issue of publicity rights or make a decision on
it," a court official said about the settlement. "The bank agreed with the
recommendation as it deals only with the moral responsibility, not the legal
responsibility."
Famous Russian martial arts fighter Fedor Emelianenko sued a Korean honey
producers' association and a sports group in March for violating his publicity
rights. They allegedly used Fedor's pictures in honey advertisements and aired
them on Korean cable TV channels.
brk@yna.co.kr
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