Insights & News

Alex Kelham writes for LawInSport: The challenges of digitally placed advertising: Ofcom’s decisions on ‘undue prominence’ from the Singapore Grand Prix

Press

15 October 2018

Alex Kelham has authored an article for LawInSport on how Ofcom (the British regulator of TV broadcasting in the UK) felt Formula One Management (FOM) had gone too far with its commercial creativity in its coverage of the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix.

Sports Q&A - Are clubs allowed to ban their players from using social media?

27 September 2018

This month’s question was inspired by comments from Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, about his first choice left back, Benjamin Mendy. During a press conference over the summer, Guardiola suggested that Mendy should, “forget a little bit the social media and improve a few things”. Mendy, who has a huge following on both Instagram and Twitter, vowed to “listen to the manager”...though he remains incredibly active online.

Karish Andrews comments for Sportcal: Clubs reject CVC's £275m Premiership bid but would sell minority

Press

13 September 2018

Karish Andrews comments in an article for Sportcal, which discusses the clubs in the Gallagher Premiership rejecting a £275-million offer from CVC Capital Partners.

Sports Q&A - EU trade marks post-Brexit

03 September 2018

We hold registered EU trade marks to protect our tournament name and logos. Post-Brexit will we still have protection in the UK?

Sports Q&A – Maternity leave and equal opportunities

31 July 2018

Was it fair for Serena Williams to be seeded at Wimbledon?

Lucy Lewis comments for HR Grapevine: Serena Williams Wimbledon return sparks maternity debate

Press

17 July 2018

In an article for HR Grapevine, Lucy Lewis comments on the case of Serena Williams' seeding at this year's Wimbledon tournament and explains that the protection of a women's position at work must be proportionate, in connection with maternity leave, pregnancy or childbirth.

Alex Kelham comments for The Times: Froome’s race to restore reputation

Press

05 July 2018

In an article for The Times, Alex Kelham discusses Chris Froome's uphill battle to restore his reputation and how the media's coverage could make a big difference to shake the negative perception.

Sports Q&A – Corporate governance - key things to know

29 June 2018

I’m taking on an in-house role with a professional sports team and will have responsibility for ensuring the board meets its corporate governance requirements. What are some of the key things I should know?

Andrew Osborne comments for City A.M.: World Cup 2018: Sporting Lisbon and Portugal stars William Carvalho, Gelson Martins and Bruno Fernandes' contract row could trigger a new Bosman ruling

Press

27 June 2018

In an article for City A.M., Andrew Osborne discusses football players' rights if they choose to cancel their contract and the implications of doing so.

Alex Kelham writes for Sportcal: Top five brand issues at Fifa World Cup

Press

15 June 2018

With the Fifa World Cup now under way, Alex Kelham provides advice on the top five issues facing brands over the month to come, in an article for Sportcal.

Sports Q&A – Political and religious views of sports stars - balancing contractual restrictions with human rights

01 June 2018

Sports personalities are often subject to sporting rules that restrict their ability to make political statements or promote religious ideology when competing. Furthermore, contractual provisions can also mean that statements made in their personal capacity while off duty, for example on social media, can lead to disciplinary action or worse. Can such restrictions be challenged on the basis of human rights? Does it make a difference if the athlete genuinely holds the views (e.g. because of religious or cultural beliefs)?

Sports Q&A – We store medical and biometric data of our athletes, what will GDPR and the UK Data Protection Bill mean for this?

26 April 2018

The GDPR, which comes into force on 25 May 2018, imposes more onerous requirements when processing (including storing) ‘special categories’ of personal data, which includes ‘data concerning health’ and ‘biometric data’. The processing of ‘special’ personal data is prohibited unless the data controller can show that an exception applies.

Karish Andrews comments on financial fair play (FFP) regulations, in multiple media outlets

Press

13 April 2018

Karish Andrews comments on football team Paris St-Germain, who are set to face UEFA sanctions after accusations of failing to meet FFP regulations.

Alex Kelham writes for SportsPro: PyeongChang 2018: the top five legal talking points so far

Press

21 February 2018

Alex Kelham considers five of the top legal talking points surrounding the ongoing Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, in an article for SportsPro.

Alex Kelham comments for Sports Market Intelligence: The lion's share: Premier League v UKIP

13 October 2017

Alex Kelham’s article has been published in SportCal which discusses the new UKIP lion (logo) and its possible trade mark infringement on The Premier League.

Brands and IP newsnotes - issue 6

12 October 2017

Welcome to the 6th edition of our Brands & IP newsnotes put together to bring you the latest, and most interesting legal developments affecting intellectual property law. In this issue we cover; battlegrounds on Amazon listings, whether prestigious brands can prevent their resellers from selling online, the EU's position paper on IP rights, an quick guide on rights for designs, and trade mark infringements.

Karish Andrews writes for SportCal: The Neymar Transfer a watershed moment for football

Press

21 September 2017

Sports Business Group Partner, Karish Andrews has written an article for SportCal which discusses the recent transfer of Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain, and the impact of this transfer on the wider football economy.

Andrew Osborne comments for Bloomberg: Premier League Fights to Retain Playing Talent After Brexit

15 September 2017

Andrew Osborne has commented in an article for Bloomberg which discusses the affect of Brexit on the Premier League retaining and attracting foreign players.

Alex Kelham comments for The Times: Lawyers come on to clean up unsporting behaviour

Press

31 July 2017

Alex Kelham has commented in an article for The Times Brief which discusses how allegations of tax fraud, dodgy transfer deals and good old fashioned dust-ups on the pitch are all creating legal headaches for clubs and players.

The FIFA World Cup 2018 - Ambush Marketing and the Law

Inbrief

19 July 2017

Saturday marked 1 year to go until the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. The countdown clocks are ticking and the advertising industry is turning its thoughts towards the marketing opportunities which this mammoth sporting event present...