Key Points
Jindal Steel and Powers The Steel of India" campaign has landed in a controversy with allegations of idea theft, igniting a fierce debate within the advertising industry..
The row began when advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) India moved the Delhi High Court (HC) in March, alleging that Jindal Steel had plagiarized a campaign concept they had originally pitched and accusing the steelmaker of dishonouring a service agreement..
According to the petition by W+K, they had worked on the campaign for four months, receiving approval from Jindal Steel for the production house and other elements, only for Jindal Steel to abruptly abandon the project without explanation..
While the Kyoorius committee, after reviewing the case with industry juries and a legal team, decided to disqualify all entries from Kondurkar Studio and Earlyman Films across categories, the campaign went on to win a Silver Lion and a Bronze Lion at the 2024 Cannes Lions in the Film Craft category..
In an official statement on Friday, W+K India said, The Delhi High Court verdict clearly stated that prima facie the campaign was substantially similar to what we had presented to Jindal Steel, be it the theme, use of steel, visual imagery, or sound design..
