Who Really Came Up with Jindal’s ‘Steel of India’ Campaign?

There is a dispute over who originally created Jindal Steel’s ‘Steel of India’ campaign. According to a petition by W+K, they spent four months working on the campaign and got approval from Jindal Steel for various production elements. However, Jindal Steel unexpectedly dropped the project. Later, W+K was surprised to see a very similar campaign aired by Jindal Steel at the end of March, which resembled what W+K had presented in mid-2023.

Court Refers Case to Arbitration

On April 24, the Delhi High Court sent the case to arbitration, noting that W+K’s claim seemed valid. The court observed that Jindal Steel’s new campaign appeared to be based on a similar theme and style as W+K’s. However, the court did not grant an interim injunction, meaning the campaign could continue running until the arbitration decision. This led to an out-of-court settlement where Jindal Steel paid W+K and transferred the intellectual property rights.

New Controversy Over Awards

Despite the settlement, the controversy flared up again when Earlyman Films and Kondurkar Studio, who claimed credit for the campaign, entered it in the Cannes Lions awards and the Kyoorius Creative Awards 2024. The Kyoorius committee disqualified all entries from Kondurkar Studio and Earlyman Films after reviewing the case. However, the campaign still won a Silver Lion and a Bronze Lion at Cannes, despite ongoing questions about its originality.

Industry Reactions

Piyush Pandey, a well-known figure in the advertising industry, commented that the idea should belong to its creator. He likened it to a relay race where the team can’t win if one runner drops the baton, emphasizing that the original idea is what matters. W+K India reiterated that the Delhi High Court had noted similarities between their campaign and the one aired by Jindal Steel.

Statements from Jindal Steel and Kondurkar Studio

Jindal Steel stated they couldn’t comment due to confidentiality but claimed the campaign was their original idea, executed by Kondurkar Studio and Earlyman Films. Notably, Amrish Kondurkar, who founded Kondurkar Studio, was previously part of W+K until January 2023.

Kondurkar Studio defended their work, saying recent negative media coverage was unfounded. They insisted they created the campaign independently based on the client’s brief, without any prior knowledge of W+K’s ideas.

Intellectual Property Challenges

This case highlights the difficulties in protecting creative ideas in the advertising industry. It raises important questions about how agencies and clients handle intellectual property and maintain ethical standards.

As the debate continues, the industry is watching closely to see how this situation will impact future projects and the ethical practices within advertising.