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Adidas objects to Nike using Tendulkar's images for
promotion
New Delhi:
Sports Apparel brands Adidas and Nike are involved in
a tussle over batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. Adidas has
petitioned the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices
Commission (MRTPC) on Friday seeking to restrain the Board
of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stop Nike from using
Tendulkar's images for promotions when he is not playing for
India. Adidas has also asked the MRTPC to direct Tendulkar
to furnish an undertaking that he personally endorsed Adidas,
although Nike sponsored Indian cricket team's on-field uniform.
During the proceedings, Adidas argued that BCCI granted Nike
only sponsorship and licensing rights and to carry trademarks
of the batsman only while playing for the country. The company's
counsel, Shailendra K Kapoor, argued that personal endorsement
rights were never a subject to this contract (between BCCI
and Nike). Nike has no right to use Sachin Tendulkar's name
for endorsements, he argued. In its petition, Adidas had made
BCCI, Nike, Tendulkar and his manager Iconix respondents.
The counsel contended that Tendulkar and Iconix were only
performa respondents and were made party to the case to state
before the commission that he has exclusive personal endorsement
rights only with Adidas. However, declining any immediate
relief to Adidas, MRTPC Chairman OP Dwivedi and member MMK
Sardana said: "When you have waited for six months, then wait
for one more month". The commission has listed the matter
for hearing in July. BCCI has a five-year contract with its
rival Nike for the team uniform. Nike had won the sponsorship
rights for the Indian cricket team in 2005 with a bid of Rs
199.66 crore, beating Reebok whose bid stood at Rs 119.48
crore and Adidas Rs 127.50 crore.
-May 25, 2007
Retinol lotions may make wrinkles vanish
Washington:
According to a new study from the University of Michigan
Health System, lotions containing retinol improve the appearance
of skin that has become wrinkled through the normal aging
process, and not just skin that has been damaged by exposure
to the sun. Researchers tested lotions containing retinol
- Vitamin A that is found in many skin-care products - on
the skin of elderly patients. Lotion containing retinol was
used on one arm of each participant, while a lotion without
retinol was applied to the other arm. Wrinkles, roughness
and overall aging severity were all significantly reduced
in the retinol-treated arm compared with the control arm,
according to the study. The production of collagen, due to
the retinol treatment, also makes it more likely that the
skin can withstand injury and ulcer formation, researchers
say. "With the population aging so rapidly, it is important
that we find ways of treating skin conditions of elderly people
- not just for purposes of vanity, but also for the healing
of wounds and the reduction of ulcers," says senior author
Sewon Kang, MD, professor of dermatology at the U-M Medical
School. This research serves as an important step forward
in the understanding of how aging skin can be improved, researchers
say. "In the past, it was everyone believed that retinoids
would treat only photoaging, or damage from exposure to sun.
This is the first systematic, double-blind study showing that
it improves any kind of aging - photoaging as well as natural
aging," said co- author John J. Voorhees, M.D., the Duncan
and Ella Poth Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department
of Dermatology at the U-M Medical School. "You can rub it
anywhere, and it will help to treat the signs of aging," he
added. The lotion was made at U-M, but U-M will not commercialize
this lotion because it was designed only for experimental
purposes and, therefore, is cosmetically undesirable. Many
retinol containing cosmeceutical creams, however, are sold
by various companies. Those specific products were not tested
by the U-M team. The reduction of wrinkles in the study's
participants was due to increased collagen production and
a significant induction of glycosaminoglycans, which are known
to retain large quantities of water. In general, aging skin
tends to be thinner, laxer and more prone to fine wrinkles
than young skin. The study appears in the May issue of the
journal Archives of Dermatology.
-May 22, 2007
Fountain pens in vogue again
New Delhi:
With a large variety of roller or ballpoint pens in fashion,
the practice of using fountain pens appeared to have been
forgotten by and large. But now, these pens are making a comeback,
a style statement. Once used by the local Munshi ji or the
accountant at a local shop, fountain pens are today a craze
among style-conscious youth, especially in offices and among
the intellectual class. Many factors are responsible for this.
The fact that a fountain pen is used delicately, gives strength
to the theory that it improves handwriting. There are many
parents and school teachers in Delhi who want their kids to
use fountain pen mainly for this purpose. "It pains me to
notice my son, an engineering student, having a shoddy handwriting.
I believe if he starts using a fountain pen, there could be
a sea change in its appeal on any notebook. But may be because
he has to write with large speed that's why he has to use
ball pens that spoils everything," said Meena Ratan, a housewife
in Rani Bagh. For many highly placed individuals, the possession
of a quality fountain pen has always been a matter of pride
and class. "It literally sails on the paper, and I enjoy penning
down old memories with it in my personal diary," said Chaudhary
Shiv Das Dutta, a retired bureaucrat. According to Rajiv Jain,
the owner of Anant Stationers, one of the oldest stationery
shops in Chandni Chowk, fountain pens are making a comeback,
though it has always remained a favourite of refined gentry.
"It's true there was a slump in the number of people using
fountain pens in the last one decade. But in cities like Delhi,
the charm for fountain pens is reviving. A few public schools
are encouraging its use over Gel or Pilot pens, claims Jain.
Students usually avoid fountain pens because of the tedious
job refilling ink or for its delicate use. Old fountain pen
sellers find such fears petty. They say if a pen is handled
with a little care, it can last long. If a pen with a big
ink-tank is fully filled, it can last up to four to five days
without any hassle.
"The refilling
requires barely one minute after six to seven days. If it's
held properly between the fingers, using a fountain pen can
be a real pleasure," says Ram Kishore, another stationery
shop owner at Chandni Chowk. "Chartered Accountants, advocates
and many high-ranking officials in Central or State Government
offices and lot of old timers show a special craving for attractive
fountain pens," says Kishore. There are about 25 types of
nibs ranging from rupees five to rupees 600 a piece in Delhi
markets. A nib usually lasts for four to five years. When
broken, it can be easily replaced. A new nib may usually cost
anywhere between rupees two to fifty for most types of the
pen. However, quality nibs start from eight to nine rupees
in Delhi. "It is advised to wash the nib after 10 to 15 days
in lukewarm water for best results. It is required to protect
a nib from getting dry. Compared to any normal gel pen, a
fountain pen is cost-effective," says Kishore. In Delhi, even
though Chinese brands are in high demand, but quality-wise
it is the Indian brand pen that lasts longer. Historically,
the first pen to carry and feed its own ink supply was the
fountain pen, which wasn't perfected until late in the 19th
century. German inventor Friedrich Soennecken introduced the
nib of the fountain pen. The period from 1925 to 1940 is regarded
as the zenith of the fountain pen era, with many beautiful
and highly functional writing instruments appearing all over
the world. Many serious writers and artists regard fountain
pens as the best tools for writing or drawing with ink on
paper. The modern ballpoint pen goes back barely sixty years,
and disposable pens only emerged in the 1950s. The first pen
to carry and feed its own ink supply was the fountain pen,
which wasn't perfected until late in the 19th century.
-May 14, 2007
Pakistani footwear is the latest fashion
in Amritsar
Amritsar:
Juti Kasuri, a traditional foot wear of Pakistan's Kasur District
is becoming the latest fashion among people of Amritsar. The
elegant style, beautiful designs and soft leather of the footwear
is attracting the fashion lovers. "These colorful bright Kasuri
Juti with embroidery works fits with the every type of dresses
and I wear not just for craze but for traditional look," said
Rosy, a customer. The cost of ladies Kasuri juti starts from
Rupees three hundred to two thousand and men's footwear costs
Rupees five hundred to two thousand a pair. The traditional
teela or zeri wali embroidery has been replaced by synthetic
thread but the look and designs is a magnet for any traditional
fashion lover. Satish Kumar, a shopkeeper, who is selling
the 'Juti Kasuri' like hot cakes these days, said: "The world
of Punjabi juti is no more restricted to a limited style or
color, now the designers have experimented with every color
and material like embroidery and stone work to give an adorable
look to footwear". However, the rigid visa norms between India
and Pakistan have become a major hurdle against the growth
of leather trade. If India and Pakistan ease the visa norms
and open up Wagah land route for lather trade, our sale would
increases in many folds, Satish added. According to a rough
estimate, a dozen shopkeepers in Amritsar are engaged in the
Pakistani footwear business and their turn over is in tune
of 15 crores.
-May 5, 2007
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