Virgin Atlantic accused of using Yeager 'brand' without permission

Airport news for Flights,Travel on 11/01/2010.

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Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager, the first pilot in the world to outmatch the speed of sound, has filed a petition suing Virgin Atlantic Inc. the retired air force brigadier general is outraged that Virgin Atlantic has used his name without obtaining his prior permission for an advertising campaign promoting their new in-flight wireless Internet service.

The legal representative of Yeager confirmed that no prior permission was taken from him to use his name in the advertising campaign. The report submitted to the courts has stated that the pilot has rarely if at all allow the use of his name or image by private firms or to be linked with any commercial enterprise in the aviation industry. Yeager is looking for a court order that will effectively ban Virgin Atlantic from using his name and will also contest for a share in the profits earned by the commercial airline while using his name and also for punitive damages.

The Virgin Atlantic had released the advertisement which proclaimed that not unlike Buzz Aldrin or Chuck Yeager, there was now an opportunity to be a part of a monumental moment in air travel.” This prompted Yeager to file a court complaint in a California state court in San Francisco.

Yeager is renowned as the first person to cross the speed of sound, 761 miles an hour at sea level in 1947. He is also a veteran pilot who fought during World War II.

Buzz Aldrin, the other person mentioned in the advert, is the famous astronaut who along with Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

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