A guide to rights protection at major sporting events: Part 1 - identify rights & managing risk

This three part guide provides seven practical steps to consider when creating a rights protection programme for major sporting events such as the Olympic & Paralympic Games, regional and world Championships.   

The guide covers:

• Step 1 – Identify and prioritise core rights over collateral rights
• Step 2 – Contract early with key parties to pre-empt risk of ambush marketing
• Step 3 – Educate the public & commercial partners about the enforcement of rights
• Step 4 – Monitor actively and smartly for potential breaches
• Step 5 – Develop an intelligent and proactive enforcement strategy
• Step 6 – Be ready for surprises
• Step 7 – Have a sense of humour and avoid over-enforcement

Part 1 Highlights:

• What is a rights protection programme?
• Step 1 – Identify and prioritise core rights over collateral rights
  • Focus on core rights
  • Identify which violations be disregarded or taken advantage of
• Step 2 – Contract early with key parties to pre-empt risk of ambush marketing
  • Structuring host nation/city agreements
  • Negotiating broadcasters, sponsors and partners agreements
  • Team participating agreements and guidelines for squad members
  • The importance of media accreditation
  • Drafting ticketing terms

Part 2 walks through Steps 3, 4 & 5 while Part 3 examines Step 6 & 7.

The commerce of sport has never been more alive. International sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Rugby World Cup captivate large global audiences, and entice high profile sponsorships and partnerships.

While major sporting events offer unparalleled platforms for companies and brands to gain global visibility, it is quite common to witness a number of companies and brands actively seeking to associate with the goodwill of such events without securing official sponsorship or commercial association rights, i.e., through the means of what is often called ‘ambush’ or ‘guerilla’ marketing. Allowing such activities to go unchecked can adversely impact the revenue model of the sport and, in turn, its ability to reinvest its earnings into game development.

Most approaches to maintaining the integrity of the commercial structure of the event involve the implementation of rights protection programmes (“RPP”).