SportAccord 2004

LawAccord (18 May, 2004) is an outstanding forum for exploring the legal implications of key business issues facing the sports industry. The largest gathering of sports lawyers from around the world, international sporting federations, bidding cities and other commercial partners will come together during LawAccord to evaluate the jurisdictional variations in the sports industry, as well as providing the much-needed opportunity for communicating and sharing best practice.

“The idea of LawAccord is a good one because everybody involved in sport is having to deal with legal issues more and more, be it for doping or defensively for their events or any number of other reasons,” said Robert H. Storey, President of the FIBT (Bobsleigh), who attended the first LawAccord. “The important thing is that LawAccord should not just be an event for lawyers, but for everyone at SportAccord.”

This year’s topics have been chosen following extensive research within the sports community to reflect current trends.

LawAccord Conference Programme

LawAccord Opening Address: “The Positive Role of the Lawyer within the International Sports Community”

LawAccord Panel Discussion: “The Liability Issue”
Sport has become an increasing target for litigation by its commercial partners and participants. Understanding this risk and managing it is a core tool for sport in the face of growing litigation. This panel provides an in-depth analysis of the liability that can be attributed to a sports federation through the acts or omissions of its officials and how this can best be reduced or avoided.

LawAccord Panel Discussion: “Developing and Exploiting Your Intellectual Property Rights”
As the industry has suffered from static or declining media rights and sponsorship revenues, it has looked at its other core assets to develop revenue. This panel addresses how such rights exist in law and takes a look at the different approaches adopted by Federations and National Olympic Committees with regard to licensing, logos, marks, names, image rights, audio-visual rights, data and data protection, licensing fans data, gaming and betting and sponsor expectations.

LawAccord Panel Discussion: “Event Cancellation Risks”
As the threat of terrorism and political risks increase, all sports events need to consider the implications and liabilities that may arise from cancellation. This panel will discuss how Federations and Organising Committees can understand and mitigate the risk attached to event cancellation, including political and economic risks, the liability with regard to sponsors, issues with housing and organising committee agreements and having to move the entire event to a new location.

Chairman: Stephen Townley, Chairman, Active Rights Management, Consultant, Hammonds

Confirmed speakers include:

Stephen Townley, Chairman, Active Rights Management, Consultant, Hammonds Jeffrey G. Benz, General Counsel and Managing Director of Legal and Government Affairs, United States Olympic Committee
Dirk-Reiner Martens, Partner, Belten Burkhardt Goedeler
Malcolm Speed, Chief Executive Officer, International Cricket Council
Howard Stupp, Director of Legal Affairs, International Olympic Committee
Caroline Townley, Managing Director, Active Rights Management
Patrick Vajda, Managing Director, Marsh