Sport & Esport

Sport is more than just a playing field, it is a primary economic, social and media sector. Whether they are professional or amateur clubs, athletes, federations, sponsors, agents, organisers, media, etc., every participant in the sporting world operates in a complex environment where legal and tax issues are omnipresent.

Contracts, governance, transfers, sports infrastructures, sponsoring, rights of personal portrayal, taxation, partnerships: every sporting performance is built around an essential legal framework.

Our mission is clear: to protect and advise everybody involved in sport in their economic, financial and strategic development.

A multi-disciplinary and all encompassing approach

Our teams apply a global and multi-disciplinary approach to provide customised guidance to our clients with high added value to respond to all of their legal, social and tax issues.

Our lawyers advise those involved in all areas of the sporting world, in France and abroad, such as clubs, federations, leagues, athletes, sponsors, patrons, broadcasters, media and investors. We guide them with solutions to meet their specific needs, whether for complex projects or the everyday management of contracts and tax risks, in particular. We are at hand for consultation or for proceedings before any national and international jurisdictions.

Our areas of expertise

Sports clubs and groups: sport societies, associations and groups

• Negotiating and drafting contracts for professional athletes:  employment contracts, sports agents contracts, contracts for player transfers or loans 
• Advising sport clubs and groups for all of their tax issues in France and abroad: corporation tax, VAT, local taxes, tax residence, etc.
• Advice on all the regulatory aspects pertaining to their activities: compliance with federal and international rules, and issues related to governance, ethics and compliance in particular (financial fair play, DNCG [the French National Directorate of Management Control], doping, etc.)
• Advice on managing the relations between clubs and their employees (players and coaches in particular) 
• Negotiating and managing commercial partnerships and audiovisual rights 
• Assisting with the design, financing, construction, operation and renovation of sporting infrastructures (stadiums, training centres, etc.); and for the implementation of policies to reduce and compensate for greenhouse gas emissions: procuring green energy, energy efficiency actions, sustainable mobility, carbon credits, plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Assignment, acquisition, merger, finance and restructuring transactions for clubs
• Assisting with all forms of French and international disputes

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Participants from the sporting world: players, athletes, management, coaches, referees, etc.

• Negotiating and drafting contracts: clubs, athletes, sponsors, agents 
• Managing image rights and commercial partnerships 
• Advising on the taxation issues related to an independent salaried activity, exploiting the assets of sports stars, transfers and terminating work relations
• Advising on tax optimisation for athletes: tax residence, tax declarations, etc. as well as their assets in France and abroad 
• Defending them in the event of legal or professional disputes

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Bodies: Agencies (AFLD – French Anti-Doping Agency, ANS – French National Sports Agency), French National Olympic and Sports Committee, federations, regional or local leagues and committees, etc.

• Drafting and ensuring regulatory compliance  
• Advising on governance  
• Managing disputes, arbitration and penalties  
• Managing risks, in particular in terms of financial liability: Regional and Local Courts, Courts of Accounts, etc.
• Ensuring compliance with French and international regulations 
• Advising on issues related to governance, ethics and compliance: financial fair play, DNCG [French National Directorate of Management Control], preventing doping, etc.
• Advising on the specific tax issues for each type of structure: taxation of association, directors' remuneration, tax and social management of referees, etc.
• Advising on comparison studies between the different tax and social regimes according to tax residency

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The economic players in the world of sport: event organisers, sponsors, brands, investors, media

• Negotiating and securing sponsorship contracts 
• Protecting intellectual property and brands 
• Strategies for promotion and exploiting marketing rights 
• Authorisations, licences and risk management
• Regulatory advice: digital and sports law 
• Advising on the organisation of major sporting events and implementing actions to reduce or compensate for greenhouse gas emissions
• Advising on establishing the most suitable legal and fiscal structure for these participants

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Disputes and sports arbitration 

• Defending clubs and athletes before federal bodies, French sports authorities such as the French National Directorate of Management Control, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, the French Anti-Doping Agency, etc. and their international counterparts such as the CAS, etc. 
• Assisting and defending our clients before French and international administrative, civil and criminal courts and industrial tribunals 
• Providing representation at arbitration proceedings

For several years now, esport has ceased to be a niche hobby and has become a truly global industry. Millions of spectators watch tournaments online, there are professional teams organised like real companies, lucrative sponsorship contracts, streaming on international platforms: esport is a booming sector!

But esport is more than just a market, it is a culture, an ecosystem and a community. Traditional sports rules are intertwined with those governing digital technology, employment law and intellectual property.

Our firm has decided to enter into this playing field with a strong belief: the law must act as means to protect and develop all the participants in esport.

 We speak the same language as the players, the teams, the publishers and the sponsors that we work with in the context of cases or during our B2B event at the Paris Games Week. We understand the mechanics of the streaming platforms, the challenges of visibility and the issues related to international agreements. Above all, we know how to transform this understanding into concrete and appropriate legal solutions.

Our areas of expertise

Players and Streamers: protecting your career

The history of esport is above all about the people who play it. Behind this passion there are careers to be forged and rights to protect. Regardless of whether they are contracts with a team, sponsorship agreements or partnerships with brands, your commitments need to be professionally managed. We are there to advise players and streamers with:  

• formalising their relations with their team as an esport player;
• negotiating and drafting their contracts with partners and sponsors; 
• protecting and placing a value on their image; 
• declaring and optimising their esport revenue: cash prizes, streaming, partnerships, etc.; 
• advising them in the context of transfers;
• finding the most appropriate social protection according to their individual position; 
• ensuring that their online advertising, communication and intellectual property activities are compliant;
• defending their interests and representing them in the event of litigation. 

Esport teams and Structures

Creating and managing an esport team involves more than just recruiting talent. It means forming a real company that needs to be structured, financed and made legally secure. We will advise you at every stage:

• creating and determining the legal structure of the organisation – our guidance adapts to your needs, from an association of esport fans to a club structured as a commercial company with the ambition of becoming international; 
• negotiating and drafting contracts with your players and executives: coaches, managers, etc.; 
• developing your partnerships and sponsorships;
• assisting with the organisation of esport events for your activity; 
• protecting your intellectual property rights and your content; 
• managing relations with organisers and broadcasters;
• managing disputes. 

Our role is to give you the means to make your project stand the test of time and to grow in a secure framework.

Events organisers and Platforms

Whether they are in person or online, organising esport tournaments and events requires that many legal, regulatory and contractual obligations be met. With our expertise, you can ensure a reliable and compliant legal framework for your players, spectators and partners. We advise esport event organisers with regard to their relations with video game publishers and their partners (esport clubs, players, sponsors and broadcasters). We will guide you in:

• drafting and formalising your tournament rules;
• managing your contracts with broadcasters, sponsors and service providers;
• negotiating your contracts with publishers;
• ensuring that you comply with regulations, in particular the specific rules for organising LAN or online competitions;
• anticipating and limiting your criminal and third-party liability;
• ensuring the compliance of your streaming and online platforms.

Brands, sponsors & investors: making the most of your opportunities

Associating your brand with the world of esport represents a unique opportunity to reach a committed audience around the world. But, without rigorous legal oversight, this opportunity can quickly become a risk. We will help you with:

• negotiating and securing your sponsorship contracts;
• protecting your brands and other intellectual property rights; 
• making the most of your counterparts;
• analysing and securing your investments in players, teams or esport events.

We offer you the peace of mind you need so that your partnerships can perform well on a commercial level and remain secure in legal terms.

Public Administrative Law

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Esport and Intellectual Property

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Tax Law

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Dispute Resolution

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Employment Law

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