We recently reported that TomTom would be introducing a TopGear-related GO Live satnav, which offers Jeremy Clarkson's voice, as well as a Stig mode. However, the company was forced to end this story, as the BBC's editorial guidelines states that Top Gear presenters are forbidden to have any connexion with any product linked to cars or driving.
To use the BBC's words, the presenters "must take particular care not to endorse any product or service which could be covered in the programs on which they work.”
The really unpleasant fact is that TomTom has already produced around 54,000 units of the Top Gear satnav before the legal issue appeared, in order to have a sufficient stock to cover the Christmas demand.
The retailers that already have the product in their inventory will be allowed to sell it, but the production has been stopped, which means that the satnav could become a collectible item.
As for the financial part of the deal, the BBC will donate all the licensing fees coming from TomTom to the BBC Children in Need charity, with the navigation system developer also making a charitable donation o the organization. And no, Clarkson won't get paid for the job.
The really unpleasant fact is that TomTom has already produced around 54,000 units of the Top Gear satnav before the legal issue appeared, in order to have a sufficient stock to cover the Christmas demand.
The retailers that already have the product in their inventory will be allowed to sell it, but the production has been stopped, which means that the satnav could become a collectible item.
As for the financial part of the deal, the BBC will donate all the licensing fees coming from TomTom to the BBC Children in Need charity, with the navigation system developer also making a charitable donation o the organization. And no, Clarkson won't get paid for the job.