As the attention of the sporting world is poised to focus on the next edition of the Olympic Games in Paris, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken the opportunity to announce its partnership with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of … Continue Reading
Former Arsenal Manager, Arsène Wenger famously said “We have gone from a vertical society to a horizontal society where everybody has an opinion about every decision you make, and everybody has an opinion on the Internet straight away.”[1] In 2024, Wenger’s words could not be more relatable. The internet has many wonderful features. It allows … Continue Reading
With the summer Olympic Games rapidly approaching, the International Olympic Committee (“IOC”) recently announced new guidance for social and digital media at the 2024 games. Our colleagues at SPB’s Global IP & Tech blog took an interesting look at how social media guidelines are evolving and how athletes, brands and spectators will experience the games … Continue Reading
Our sister blog, Global IP & Technology Law previously reported that artificial intelligence (“AI”) is changing the landscape of all aspects of our modern economy. The world of professional sports is no exception. Emerging technologies are transforming the games we know and love. From player recruitment to athlete recovery, AI’s integration into sports is opening … Continue Reading
After years in the making, the Online Safety Act (the “OSA”) has come into force after receiving Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 (as discussed in our blog here). Amidst the proliferation of social media use, there has been a worrying increase in the levels of abuse that players, athletes, officials, managers, coaches and other … Continue Reading
In competitive sport, small margins make the difference between winning and losing. It is therefore no surprise that elite sport is experiencing transformational change due to the increasing use of performance improvement technology. We have recently advised Formula 1 and Premier League football teams on their use of performance improvement technology solutions including in:… Continue Reading
This article originally appeared in Law360 on February 15, 2022. Authored by Alexis Montano, Real Estate Associate, Phoenix, AZ. The metaverse is a mix of augmented virtual reality that operates with the help of blockchain functions such as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, and cryptocurrencies. Think of the metaverse as a universe with several platforms making … Continue Reading
Scale of the piracy problem The threats posed to the funding of sport by media rights piracy is nothing new. However, as recognised by the European Parliament in its resolution published 19 May 2021, developments in digital technology and the proliferation of access to digital content (in particular through IPTV) have, in turn, increased the … Continue Reading
Sports as an industry has realised the potential that cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies can bring to further monetise fan engagement, attract sponsors and engage a global market in ways that were unimaginable decades ago. Passionate fans, each a citizen of digital technology, consume sports and related content beyond the actual duration of a match. Teams, … Continue Reading
Last week, the Champions for Earth movement sent an open letter co-signed by hundreds of GB Olympians and Paralympians to the Prime Minister urging a ‘Green approach’ to recovery from the pandemic. The letter highlights the role that sport can play in influencing global issues: “We can sit timidly in the pack, pretending that we … Continue Reading
The ban on mass gatherings in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the cancellation or postponement of sporting fixtures and live events globally. This includes the English Premier League that had to postpone all fixtures following the lockdown. On 10 May 2020, Boris Johnson announced that, as part of the UK government’s … Continue Reading
As the world of traditional sports has ground to halt, esports has garnered much media attention, certainly in respect of those esports that operate within the purview of traditional sports. The esports industry was already thriving before the pandemic, attracting billions of pounds in revenues and huge viewing audiences. With the world on lockdown and … Continue Reading
At the last race weekend in Bahrain, Charles Leclerc became the second-youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history in just his second race with Ferrari. A few days’ prior in London, another rookie (at least, in his current role) was delivering what could be an historical change in the future of the sport: Ross Brawn’s vision … Continue Reading
Football and blockchain: It may not be the most obvious of pairings, but stakeholders in the football world are beginning to dip their toes in the water, when it comes to using blockchain technology in their commercial operations. Readers of Sports Shorts may have fond memories of schooldays spent collecting trading cards or stickers depicting … Continue Reading
When French sixth-tier side Avant Garde Caennaise (“AG Caen”) were founded in 1902, even the most forward-thinking supporters could not have imagined that the club would become the pioneers that they are today. The Project Two thousand fans currently manage the team, making decisions such as the team’s line up and substitutions, via a third … Continue Reading
Currently sitting last in the Premier League table with no points to their name, West Ham have had a tough start to the season. Their struggles have been just as obvious off the pitch as the club continues its legal dispute with the landlord of their home ground, the London Stadium. London Legacy Development Corporation … Continue Reading
The Tour de France 2017 began on 1 July 2017 and, in amongst the cyclists’ battle for the Un Maillot, the Green Jersey, the Polka-Dot Jersey and the White Jersey, a controversy began to emerge over Team Sky’s ‘Vortex’ skin suit. The controversy arose as a result of the jersey worn by the Team Sky … Continue Reading
On 19 June 2017, FIFA declared video assistant referees (VAR) as the ‘future of football’ as the technology continues to be trialled in live footballing events, this time at the Confederations Cup in Russia. Fast forward to 26 June 2017 and, following a particularly confusing incident of mistaken identity where the match referee incorrectly awarded … Continue Reading
Once thought of as weapons of war, commercial use of drones is now on the rise, with companies like Amazon jostling to position themselves at the forefront of the market (launching futuristic initiatives such as Prime Air and filing patent applications for inventions like flying warehouses). In the medical industry, drones have been trialled for … Continue Reading
