3 2 February 2005

News:

Real Madrid’s action against online betting sites who it claims have used images of both players and the club’s name without permission will be watched closely by clubs and sporting organisations around Europe.

The U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee has launched an investigation into the use of steroids in baseball following the decision of Major League Baseball (MLB) not to investigate claims of widespread steroid use made by former MLB All-Star Jose Canseco.

The media circus surrounding the Premier League inquiry into the alleged illegal approach made by Chelsea FC towards Arsenal’s Ashley Cole has reignited the debate into “tapping-up” within football.

Features:

The media circus surrounding the Premier League inquiry into the alleged illegal approach made by Chelsea FC towards Arsenal’s Ashley Cole has reignited the debate into “tapping-up” within football. Leading sports lawyers, solicitor Mel Goldberg and barrister Simon Pentol examine the rules, procedures, repercussions and the conflicting issues involved.

Nations and cities bidding to host a major event are increasingly more likely to be awarded it, if they can demonstrate to the rights holder that their jurisdiction has robust legal provisions to prevent ambush marketing. Sara Friend, Legal Director at the British Olympic Association and Alexandra Kelham a solicitor at Farrer & Co, who spent 9 months on secondment at the BOA in 2004 explain how London is facing up to the Challenge for its 2012 bid.

Minardi’s recent success in obtaining an injunction from the Victorian Supreme Court against FIA, the world governing body for motor racing, will be viewed with some concern by sports governing bodies worldwide. The initial injunction, which paved the way for the participation of Minardi in the Australian Grand Prix, is yet another symptom of the problems that sports governing bodies face in trying to keep the courts out of “their” business. Stephen Hornsby, Head of Sports Group at the Simkins Partnership examines the issues.

Using the internet for advertising and commerce raises a number of trade mark issues, from initial considerations of registration, through to complicated issues of enforcement. There are a number of avenues, other than reliance on trade marks alone, that may also benefit businesses operating online. This article will briefly consider the law in relation to trade marks generally, and consider specific issues relating to using such marks in a global marketplace.

The recent judgment from the ECJ in the William Hill v BHB case has made all sides in the argument about the ownership and exploitation of sports data examine more closely the legal framework within which these rights are sold. Neil Baylis, a partner with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP analyses one aspect which has so far escaped scrutiny: the implications of Competition Law for such sporting rights sales.

As with many team sports, success is attained by rigorous preparation. In this article, Mark Roper-Drimie, Director of Legal Affairs and Business Development at the England and Wales Cricket Board, and Adrian Barr-Smith and Andrea Thompson, explain how successful tactics secured the future of English cricket.