Brazilian football player Pele has filed a $30 million lawsuit against Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung for the unlawful use of his double in advertising, writes the Chicago Tribune.

The lawsuit, filed in early March on behalf of Pelé, alleges that Samsung improperly used a Pelé lookalike in TV advertisements. The advertisement appeared in The New York Times in October 2015. By this time, Samsung had broken off negotiations with Pele about using his image.

Although the advert does not directly mention Pelé, it does feature a large photograph of an elderly black man who "reminds a great deal" of the Brazilian great. Thus, advertising may mislead consumers and harm Pele's interests, lawyers say. In this regard, the lawsuit states that Pelé has signed advertising contracts in the past with companies such as Procter & Gamble, Volkswagen, Emirates airline and the Subway restaurant chain, which make up the majority of his income. Lawyers estimated the Brazilian’s damages from the illegal use of his image in Samsung advertising at $30 million.

Pelé was negotiating with Samsung in late 2013 when “at the last minute [the company] pulled out of negotiations and did not receive the right to use Pelé’s likeness in any form or format,” the suit says.

As the Chicago Tribune notes, Pele followed the path of basketball player Michael Jordan. Moreover, he hired lawyers who helped Jordan win the case.

Michael Jordan challenged in federal court the right to use his image in an advertisement for the Dominick's supermarket chain. The law firm Schiff Hardin helped him win $8.9 million in August 2015.

However, the Chicago Tribune points out, Jordan's case is more obvious, since Dominick's directly used his name.

Pele sues Samsung for $30 million