On May 23, 2025, Galactus Funware Technology Pvt Ltd, the parent company of Mobile Premier League (MPL), served an 11-page legal notice to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The notice demands two principal remedies: (i) immediate withdrawal of ASCI's white-paper Examining Opinion Trading in India and (ii) ₹50 crore (≈ $6 million) in damages for alleged defamation and loss of goodwill.
Why this matters: ASCI is a voluntary self-regulatory body, so the dispute may test how far non-statutory guidance can go before it attracts court scrutiny—an issue that may be of interest to Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA) Blog readers.
Background to the Dispute
ASCI's May-2025 white-paper examines "opinion trading"—prediction-style games in which users forecast real-world outcomes—and highlights consumer-protection risks. Several sample creatives in the paper are attributed to MPL. The notice alleges that ASCI:
- Tampered with evidence by cropping screenshots and deleting legally-mandated disclaimers;
- Mis-classified games of skill as gambling (games of chance), thereby harming MPL's reputation; and
- Exceeded its mandate by pronouncing on the legality of opinion trading, an issue currently sub judice in multiple Indian courts.
On these grounds, MPL calls the paper "biased and unsubstantiated" and sets a three-day deadline for retraction.
ASCI has confirmed receipt of the notice and "categorically" denies any tampering with advertising material.1
Early legal assessment
Most commentary from media-quoted defamation specialists suggests that the claim faces procedural hurdles. Under Indian law, a plaintiff must show falsity, malice and demonstrable harm; commentators point out that self-regulatory bodies publishing material in the public interest may be protected by a form of qualified privilege.2 Experts interviewed byStoryboard18added that the notice appears "more about optics than legal merit," though they cautioned that even a weak suit can deter future criticism.3
The three-day window set out in MPL's notice has expired with no retraction to date. MPL must now decide whether to file suit in a civil court—an action that would invite judicial scrutiny of both the white-paper and the challenged advertisements—or leverage the notice as a negotiating tool. In parallel, India's securities regulator (SEBI) and several state governments continue to examine opinion-trading platforms, making advertising rules for the category a moving target.4
Footnotes
1 Social Samosa: " ASCI receives legal notice from MPL owner over white-paper on opinion trading," 3 Jun 2025.
2 Aakriti Bansal, Medianama: " MPL sends legal notice to ASCI seeking ₹50 crore in damages," Jun 5, 2025
3 Imran Fazal, Storyboard18: " Defamation notice to ASCI more about optics than legal merit, say experts," Jun 4, 2025.
4 The Economic Times, " SEBI cautions investors on opinion trading platforms", April 30, 2025
5 Prasad Sangameshwaran, BrandEquity: " MPL's parent company demands INR 50 crore from ASCI for defamation," 3 Jun 2025.
6 Prasad Sangameshwaran, The Economic Times: " Gaming co MPL accuses ASCI of tampering with their ads," 3 Jun 2025.
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