Mads Pedersen among 12 Danish athletes suing HBO Nordic over alleged image misuse

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is one of twelve Danish athletes who have filed a lawsuit against HBO Nordic over alleged image misuse. 

Pedersen, Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Amalie Dideriksen (Cofidis), Niklas Larsen (Unibet Rose Rockets) and mountain biker Sebastian Fini are among the athletes involved, alongside handball players Mathias Gidsel, Mikkel Hansen and Niklas Landin, as well as badminton players Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen. 

The athletes are suing HBO Nordic for a combined sum of two million kroner in relation to claims that the streaming service used images of them without consent to promote its own products ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. 

Testifying via video link at the Maritime and Commercial High Court on Monday, Pedersen said that the use of his image could harm his ability to negotiate commercial partnerships with other companies.

"It has been damaging in the sense that I try to sell my image and brand to other parties who wish to use me. I fully understand that HBO and TV 2 promote cycling races. But in this instance, they are promoting a subscription service," Pedersen said, according to Ekstra Bladet.

Pedersen is reportedly personally seeking 150,000 kroner (approximately €20,000) in damages, and highlighted the value of his current and sponsorship agreements to illustrate the importance of his image rights. 

He highlighted his partnership with safety footwear brand Airtox worth €228,000 per year, as well as an upcoming partnership with clothing brand CRIVIT, which he said would be worth more than €456,000 annually over five years. 

“This is the single biggest source of income from my profession as a cyclist. It’s what puts food on the table,” Pedersen said. 

The former road race world champion suggested that the issue could have been avoided if HBO Nordic had taken its own photographs during the media days at the 2024 Olympics where Pedersen and co were present. 

HBO Nordic have reportedly disputed the claims, arguing the athletes consented to the use of their images while signing participation terms and conditions established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and that the images were used in an editorial context rather than commercial.

The images in question were used across social media, news websites and HBO Nordic’s own platforms, as well as on a large banner in Copenhagen, between July and November 2024. Most were taken at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The case is being heard over three days at the Maritime and Commercial High Court, from Monday to Wednesday.