Mads Pedersen among group of Danish athletes suing HBO over use of their images for advertising

Mads Pedersen is among a group of Danish athletes suing streaming service HBO Max over unauthorised use of their images.

Cyclists Amalie Dideriksen, Mikkel Bjerg, and Sebastian Fini Carstensen are also part of the lawsuit, which encompasses 13 athletes requesting 2 million Danish Kroner (DKK) – around £224,000 – in compensation.

In the lawsuit, the group of athletes, including athletes from other sports, are claiming 50,000 DKK (£5,600) per image HBO Nordic used in the run-up to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

Pedersen appeared in court via video link on Monday.

"It's difficult to sell my name and image to others if it's used for free," he said, according to TV2.

"I believe without a doubt that it was for the purpose of selling a product. It has been harmful to the extent that I try to sell my picture and image to others.

"There are other companies that pay large sums of money for that. And I did not give HBO permission to use those photos."

Pedersen pointed to several of his own brand advertising deals. He noted that workwear brand Airtox is paying him 3.4 million DKK (£380,000) for a two-year deal to use his image, while Lidl-Trek's clothing sponsor Crivit is paying him 19 million DKK (£2.1 million) over five years.

Lawyers representing the group claim images of the athletes were used on HBO Max's website, Facebook and Instagram accounts and on a large banner advert in Copenhagen,

HBO's counterclaim is that its use of images should be considered in an editorial context, according to TV2.

Pedersen is claiming 150,000 DKK (£16,800) in compensation for three uses of his image. Other athletes in the lawsuit, badminton player Victor Axelsen and handball player Mathias Gidsel, have larger compensation claims of 450,000 DKK (£50,000).

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