3 5 May 2005

News:

FIFA has agreed to amend its arrangements for ticket payments for the 2006 World Cup in Germany following an investigation by the European Commission.

Commissioners from the four major sports in the United States are to appear before Congress for a two-day hearing on steroid legislation.

Manchester United fans might be ripping up their season ticket applications in a public show of anger at the acquisition of their team by US tycoon, Malcolm Glazer but there is precious little that they can do about it.

Features:

Athletes salaries on both sides of the Atlantic often account for as much as 50-60% of the total revenue collected by their franchise or club in a given year. In the last few years, major sports have witnessed a series of incidents whereby their own players’ actions have become substantially less valuable to their teams. As a result teams have reflected on their ability (and advisability) to recoup the losses they incur. Dennis M. P. Ehling, Warren Phelops, Ashley J. Camron and Martin King, members of the International Sports Group, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP look at the options.

The failure of the Beckhams to obtain an injunction preventing their former nanny revealing details of their private lives once again leaves UK privacy law in confusion. Ian Felstead, solicitor at Olswang assesses the position of privacy law.

The law of contract plays an increasingly important role for today’s modern sportsmen and women. In employment law it will determine their employment status, how much they are paid, who owns their image rights and how grievances are dealt with amongst other things. On the commercial side, contract law is fundamental in engaging the services of agents and in entering into sponsorship deals.

John Hewison, senior partner with George Davies Solicitors, explains the crucial role that contracts play for today’s sports stars.

The Gambling Act received Royal Assent on 7 April. The final form of the Act leaves much of the practical regulation of gambling to be decided by the Gambling Commission. Hilary Stewart-Jones, partner at Berwin Leighton Paisner, analyses key elements of the Act amid their impact on remote gambling operators.

The judgement of the European Court of Justice in the William Hill case changed the landscape on database right protection. In this article, Rachel Boothroyd, Head of IP & Technology at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham offers potential solutions on how databases may be protected.