The global outreach, sheer size of excited audience and the extreme popularity of the global sports events cutting across cultures has always attracted the attention of the corporates to be associated with events like the Olympics, the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games etc. The widening fiscal deficit of the governments and dwindling private donations have necessitated the organizers to look for a partnership with the corporates to finance these mega events across the world. The rush and competition for earning the much coveted sponsorship and telecast rights of the events resulted in competitive bidding, exclusivity and sometimes the disappointment for the corporates who lost the legitimate opportunity to be associated with the events. However, this blatant commercialization of major sporting events introduced a new sort of phenomenon-ambush marketing, where a competitor of the sponsor might come into play illegitimately and create an association with the event as well as divert the audience's attention to its business.Though, the phenomenon of ambush marketing has been limited to major sports events, but recent evidence emerging from various countries suggests that marketers have been using it as a weapon of choice to ambush the marketing campaigns of their competitors, thus widening the ambush marketing landscape beyond the major sporting events. The recent ambush act of Samsung against the Nokia signals the widening landscape of ambush marketing in India, and provokes the debate on the relevance of ambush marketing on moral, ethical, judicial and legal grounds. Hence, the present paper makes a critical analysis of the origin and evolution of ambush marketing in India and abroad and explores the dilemma of treating it as a case of innovative practice or parasitic marketing. Finally, by analyzing the legal landscape of ambush marketing in India and abroad, it offers suggestions for the marketers to repulse acts of ambush marketing within the perimeters of legislation in India.

1. Bisman Kaur, Remfry & Sagar (2010). “Apprehending An Ambush-How to Defend Against Ambush Marketing.” Brands in the Boardroom, <a href=www.iam-magazine.com target="_blank">www.iam-magazine.com</a> accessed on February 1, 2012.
2. Curthoys J. & Kendall C. (2001). “Ambush Marketing and the Sydney 2000 Games (Indicia and Images) Protection Act: A Retrospective.” Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law, Volume 8, Issue 2. <a href=http//www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v8n2/kendall82.html target="_blank">http//www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v8n2/kendall82.html</a>. accessed on January 8, 2012.
3. Collett P. & Johnson N. (2006). “Don't be Ambushed in 2012.” Brand Strategy, Volume 199, pp.34-35.
4. Cornwell, T. B., Maignan, I., (1998). “An International Review of Sponsorship Research.” Journal of Advertising, Volume 27, Number 1, pp. 1-21.
5. Dean Crow and Janet Hoek (2003). “Ambush Marketing: A Critical Review and Some Practical Advice.” Marketing Bulletin, Volume 14, Article 1.
6. Falconer R. (2003). “Ambush Marketing and How to Avoid It.” <a href=http://www.geoccities,com/Athens/Acropolis/5253/ambush.html target="_blank">http://www.geoccities,com/Athens/Acropolis/5253/ambush.html</a>. accessed on January 25, 2012.
7. Jensen J. (1995). “Atlanta Games Craft Barriers to Ambushers.” Advertising Age, Volume 66, Number 11, p.3.
8. Kamath Nandan. “Should We Legislate on Ambush Marketing?” The Hindu Business Line. May 8, 2008. <a href=http//www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2008/05/08/stories/2008050850110300.htm target="_blank">http//www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2008/05/08/stories/2008050850110300.htm</a>. accessed on January 13, 2012.
9. Lacaz, R. “Answers of the Brazillian Group: Question B- Ambush Marketing.” <a href=http//www.ligue.org/files/2007_report_bbrazil.pdf target="_blank">http//www.ligue.org/files/2007_report_bbrazil.pdf</a>. accessed on February 1, 2012.
10. Lipman Joanne. “Olympic Ambush Strategies Spur Debate.” Wall Street Journal, 7th February, 1992, B. 6.
11. Lyberger M. & McCarthy L. (2001). “An Assessment of Consumer Knowledge of, Interest in, and Perceptions of Ambush Marketing Strategies.” Sport Marketing Quarterly, Volume 10 , Issue 2, p. 130.
12. Mallard, T. “Close Watch Kept on Ambush Marketing.” The New Zealand Herald, April 30, 2007. <a href=http://www.nzherald.co.nz target="_blank">http://www.nzherald.co.nz</a>. accessed on January 10, 2012.
13. McDaniel, S., Kinney, L., (1998). “The Implication of Recency and Gender Effects in Consumer Response to Ambush Marketing.” Psychology and Marketing, Volume 15, Issue 4 ,pp. 385-403.
14. Meenaghan T. (1994). “Point of View: Ambush Marketing-Immoral or Imaginative Practice?” Journal of Advertising Research, Volume 34, Issue 3, pp. 77-78.
15. Meenaghan Tony (1994). “Ambush Marketing: Immoral or Imaginative Practice?” Journal of Advertising Research, Volume 34 , Issue 5, p. 81.
16. McKelvey S. (2003b) “Commercial “Branding”: The Final Frontier or False Start for Athletes' Use of Temporary Tattoos as Body Billboards.” Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, Volume 2, p. 13 .
17. McKelvey, S., & Grady, J. (2004). “An Analysis of the Ongoing Global Efforts to Combat Ambush Marketing: Will Corporate Marketers “take” the Gold in Greece?” Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, Volume 14, pp.191 - 220.
18. NYC2012 Candidature File. (2004). New York Games. <a href=http://www.newyorkgames.org/files/library#NYC2012 target="_blank">http://www.newyorkgames.org/files/library#NYC2012</a>. accessed on January 20, 2012.
19. Payne M. (1998). “Ambush Marketing: The Undeserved Advantage.” Psychology and Marketing. Volume 15, Issue 4, p. 323.
20. Shani, D., Sandier, D. M., 1989. “Olympic Sponsorship vs. “Ambush” Marketing Who Gets The Gold?” Journal of Advertising Research, Volume 29, Issue 3, pp. 9-14.
21. Sharad Vadehra, Kan and Krishme. “Ambush Marketing- Growth in India.” <a href=http://www.galamarketlaw.com target="_blank">http://www.galamarketlaw.com</a> accessed on January 10, 2012 .
22. Steve Mckelvey and John Grady (2008). “Sponsorship Program Protection Strategies for Special Sport Events: Are Event Organizers Outmaneuvering Ambush Marketers?” Journal of Sport Management, Volume 22, pp. 550-586.
23. Sullivan, P., Murphy, P., (1998). “Ambush Marketing: The Ethical Issues.” Psychology & Marketing, Volume 15, Issue 4, pp.349-366.
24. Townley, S., Harrington, D., (1998). “The Legal and Practical Prevention of Ambush Marketing in Sports”. Psychology & Marketing, Volume 15, Issue 4, pp. 333-348.
25. Trade Practices Amendment Act No 26 of 2001. <a href=http//www.info.gov.za/view/downloadIronside S target="_blank">http//www.info.gov.za/view/downloadIronside S</a>, Major Events Management Act 2007, Managing Intellectual Property, (184) (2008) 122. <a href=http//www.managingip.com/article/2041356/major-events-management-Act-2007 target="_blank">http//www.managingip.com/article/2041356/major-events-management-Act-2007</a>. accessed on January 20, 2012.
26. Vassallo Edaward, Blemaster Kristin & Werner Patricia (2005). “An International Look at Ambush Marketing.” The Trademark Reporter, Volume 95, Issue 6, pp.1338-1356.
27. Wall, A. (2001). “The Games Behind the Games.” Trademark Reporter, Volume 91, pp.1243 - 1268.