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Smoke and mirrors? Big Tobacco slip(stream)s back into Formula One sponsorship deals

Published on 18 Feb 2019.

RPC reports on Philip Morris and British American Tobacco securing major partnerships with Ferrari and McLaren, prompting investigations into their compliance with domestic and international advertising laws.

CMA clamps down on unfair gambling promotions

Published on 01 Feb 2018. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial

The CMA has spoken: online gambling operators must act now to avoid falling foul of misleading terms and practices. See below for our list of dos and don’ts.

Spurs 2 : 0 HMRC – termination payment not taxable earnings

Published on 20 Dec 2017. By Michelle Sloane, Partner and Adam Craggs, Partner

The Upper Tribunal (UT) has confirmed the decision of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) that payments made by Spurs in respect of two players on early termination of their contracts were not earnings. They were termination payments and, therefore, were outside the scope of national insurance contributions (NICs).

Swansea City player Bony keeps former agents in play

Published on 14 Sep 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

In a dispute with his agents over secret commissions, Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony has succeeded in opposing a stay in English Court proceedings, which would have been implemented had the Court found he had agreed to arbitrate. The decision is an important reminder that national courts will have jurisdiction to hear a claim if the parties have not agreed (expressly or impliedly) to resolve the dispute using arbitration.

Edgar Davids wins League of Legends image rights claim

Published on 23 Aug 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

Dutch football icon Edgar Davids has succeeded in suing Riot Games – makers of the world's biggest video game and eSports phenomenon, League of Legends.

Barton succeeds in reducing betting ban

Published on 04 Aug 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

Joey Barton has succeeded in reducing the ban imposed on him by the FA Commission following breaches of FA Rules concerning betting – but he's still banned until 1 June 2018

Using VR in sports – virtual insanity or future reality?

Published on 01 Aug 2017. By Joseph Byrne, Senior Associate

Stoke City has become the latest Premier League club to announce that it will use virtual reality (VR) technology as a training tool for its goalkeepers.

A shot in the arm for football sponsorship – clubs take advantage of new shirt sleeve regulations

Published on 24 Jul 2017.

As forecasted in our blog post back in April, it wasn't long before other Premier League teams followed Manchester City's lead in announcing major tie-ups for shirt sleeve sponsorship.

Indian sports broadcast network 'bowled out' for breach of a media rights agreement

Published on 18 Jul 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

This article considers New Zealand Cricket (Incorporation) v Neo Sports Broadcast PVT Ltd in which the High Court exercised its discretion and lifted a stay to allow the claimant, New Zealand Cricket, to successfully obtain summary judgment on a breach of contract claim with elements of bad faith counter-arguments.

Bournemouth bets on shirt sponsorship deal with M88

Published on 05 Jul 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

AFC Bournemouth announces a two year deal with online gambling company M88, which includes shirt sponsorship and pitch-side branding.

Barton bets big and loses: sanctions, mitigation and next steps

Published on 15 May 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

What is the appropriate sanction for breaching the prohibition on betting on football matches, and what effect will mitigating factors have on the sanction?

Hacked – IAAF victim of cyber-attack compromising athlete data

Published on 10 Apr 2017.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has been subject to a data breach – allegedly by Russian hacking group Fancy Bears - potentially compromising the sensitive data of a number of athletes.

Sleeve sponsorship – a new trick up the sleeve for Premier League teams

Published on 03 Apr 2017. By Joseph Byrne, Senior Associate

The blog provides an insight into the consequences arising from the introduction of sleeve sponsors to the Premier League, with a particular focus on club's existing commercial arrangements and deals that are being negotiated/will be negotiated.

Going for Gold: A New Code for Sports Governance

Published on 30 Jan 2017. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

Any sports body or organisation that wishes to rely on public funding must now comply with a new Code for Sports Governance, and it requires preparation now.

Chelsea swap Adidas for £900m Nike deal

Published on 28 Oct 2016. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

Chelsea FC and Nike have agreed the largest kit sponsorship/ supply agreement in the English Premier League worth £900m (£60m per year for 15 years). The announcement comes nearly 6 months after the Chelsea and Adidas kit sponsorship/supply agreement was terminated part way through a 10 year term.

FAPL v Wells: High Court orders Norwich Pharmacal Relief Against Publicans Screening Premier League Matches Without Permission

Published on 29 Sep 2016.

In this article for Entertainment Law Review first published in June 2016, Andrew Crystal and Joshua Charalambous discuss Snowden J's decision in the Football Association Premier League Limited -v- Richard Alan Wells (& Ors) [2015] EWHC 3910 (Ch).

Copyright test match

Published on 22 Sep 2016.

Copyright test match—High Court provides guidance on substantiality and fair dealing in relation to sports clips

Sponsors drop lying Lochte - the fallout from Rio 2016

Published on 24 Aug 2016. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial and Joshua Charalambous, Partner

Importance of anti-embarrassment clauses highlighted by US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte being dropped by sponsors, including Speedo and Ralph Lauren.

China’s richest man strikes deal to host new global football tournament

Published on 21 Jul 2016. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Dalian Wanda Group planned to create a European club tournament to rival the UEFA Champions League.

Penalty saved by CAS with a little help from English Courts

Published on 06 Jun 2016. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

World eSports Association formed

Published on 26 May 2016. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

A new governing association was formed this month by the Electronic Sports League (“ESL”) and a number of eSports teams.

FIFA’s Member Associations approve package of reforms

Published on 16 May 2016.

“FIFA is currently going through the worst crisis of its history. The current crisis should also be considered as a unique opportunity for FIFA to renew itself.”

Top tips for negotiating football kit sponsorship deals

Published on 27 Jan 2016.

(including considerations when working with betting companies)

Wyscout Forum London 2013 - Image is everything

Published on 12 Jun 2015.

What are image rights?

Virtual roundtable with Corporate Livewire: Sport Law 2015

Published on 12 Jun 2015.

In our Sports Law Roundtable we spoke with four experts from around the world to discuss recent regulatory changes and interesting developments across their field of work.

Sports & Esports

You’re passionate about sports - so are we. Let’s channel that shared passion to secure the best legal outcomes for you. Whether you’re out on the field or in the boardroom, we want to help you thrive.

Construction and Engineering Law 2024

Published on 15 Aug 2024. By Tom Green, Partner and Arash Rajai, Partner and Alan Stone, Partner and Jonathan Carrington, Senior Associate

We are delighted to have contributed once again to ICLG's Construction and Engineering Law guide for 2024. The comprehensive guide delves into the multifaceted world of construction and engineering law, providing an essential reference for understanding and comparing the handling of common legal challenges across various jurisdictions.

AI in Construction

Published on 16 Jul 2024. By Georgina Haynes, Senior Associate

There is a lot of discussion around Artificial Intelligence ("AI") and its application to industry. We have considered what AI is, the benefits and risks, how it fits into the construction industry, the effect on insurers and what the future holds.

Court considers requirements for a condition precedent to litigation in Local Authority application

Published on 26 Apr 2024. By Zack Gould-Wilson, Senior Associate and Alexandra Anderson, Partner

In Lancashire Schools SPC Phase 2 Ltd v Lendlease Construction (Europe) Ltd [2024] EWHC 37 (TCC) a local authority failed in its application to have the claim against it stayed or struck out on the basis of non-compliance with a contractual dispute resolution mechanism.

JCT 2024 has landed! This is the ideal time to update your contracts

Published on 24 Apr 2024. By Arash Rajai, Partner and Joshua Green, Associate and Claire Wilmann, Senior Associate

The JCT 2024 suite of contracts has arrived, with the Design and Build Contract being the first to be released.

Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises to take effect from 1 February 2024

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Bonnie Wong, Of Counsel

Following from the passing of the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill which mandates compliance with the Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises in Singapore ("Code") for qualifying leases of retail premises earlier this year, the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Act ("Act') is expected to take effect from 1 February 2024.

First out the traps: Dissecting the first remediation order under the Building Safety Act

Published on 04 Oct 2023. By Arash Rajai, Partner and Joshua Green, Associate

Our non-contentious construction team have recently contributed an article to Practical Law considering the first remediation order made by the First-tier Tribunal under section 123 of the Building Safety Act 2022 in Waite and others v Kedai Ltd (2023) LON/00AY/HYI/2022/0005 & 0016.

Whistle-blowing on illegal cartels drops 70% in 5 years

Published on 18 Sep 2023. By Chris Ross, Partner and Arash Rajai, Partner

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently increased award to £250,000 Calls to the CMA hotline have plummeted from 1,442 in 2017 to 427 in 2022

Wilko becomes 'yet another casualty' of tough economic conditions facing UK retailers

Published on 10 Aug 2023. By Finella Fogarty, Partner, Head of Restructuring & Insolvency

'Perfect storm' of rising interest rates, increased energy bills, supply chain issues and squeezed customer spending is hitting retailers hard

Property Digital Rights – A New Revenue Stream in a Digital World

Published on 13 Jul 2023. By Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner

Advances in technology are opening up exciting new frontiers for property owners and managers. Almost two billion people globally use augmented reality (AR) on their mobile phones and nearly 400 million engage in a virtual metaverse reality.

The fit-out problem

Published on 24 May 2023. By Arash Rajai, Partner and Jon Ely, Partner

An article considering the insurance strategy of fit-out works, which looks at co-insurance following the Court of Appeal's judgment in FM Conway Ltd v The Rugby Football Union and others [2023] EWCA Civ 418, the approach under JCT contracts, public liability insurance and the tenant's liability.

Register of Overseas Entities – one month since the deadline and thousands still face penalties from failure to register

Published on 06 Mar 2023. By Jon Ely, Partner and Brooke Reed, Associate

The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 ("the Act") enacted in March 2022 brought into force the register of overseas entities on 1 August 2022. Companies House holds and manages the new register which was introduced to provide greater transparency around UK land ownership. The transitional period ended on 31 January 2023, and as at 3 March 2023, 26,481 out of an estimated 32,440 have registered. Thousands of companies are still to register over a month on from the end of the transitional period, so we've turned our minds to consider the possible consequences of not registering, or delaying registering, as an overseas entity in accordance with the Act, including the potential for the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to apply.

New building safety requirements

Published on 16 Feb 2023. By Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner and Brooke Reed, Associate

The Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act) is the central plank in the government’s response to the Grenfell Tower disaster. The Act was enacted with the aim of improving the standard of buildings in England and securing the safety of people in or about those buildings, with a particular focus on fire safety.

RPC expands real estate practice with the hire of Partner, Jon Ely

Published on 17 Jan 2023. By Jon Ely, Partner

International law firm RPC announced today that commercial property lawyer Jon Ely has joined the firm in Bristol as a Partner in the real estate practice.

Two-stage procurement: some key considerations for PCSAs

Published on 02 Nov 2022. By Arash Rajai, Partner and Claire Wilmann, Senior Associate

In our previous blog post, we introduced two-stage procurement and two key options for documenting it (a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA) followed by a separate main works contract and a Combined PCSA/Main Contract) noting that the differences were generally presentational or mechanical. For the purposes of this post, we will refer only to the PCSA and main contract option, but please note that the same principles apply to the Combined PCSA/Main Contract.

Cladding and Valuation: Important RICS guidance under consultation until 31 October 2022 – have your say!

Published on 20 Oct 2022. By Alexandra Anderson, Partner and Katharine Cusack, Partner

The consultation is part of RICS' plan to introduce a new professional standard for valuing properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding. This will take the form of an RICS-approved technical guidance note, with the objective of supporting an effective homebuying market.

Two-stage procurement

Published on 26 Sep 2022. By Arash Rajai, Partner and Claire Wilmann, Senior Associate

In a recent survey undertaken as part of the RIBA Construction Contracts and Law Report 2022, it was reported that over a third (37%) of respondents had used two-stage procurement over the last 12 months. We are similarly seeing two-stage procurement being used more and more in the construction industry, particularly for major building projects. In fact, the majority of recent development projects we have advised on in the UK were procured on a two-stage basis.

Register of Overseas Entities – Register now to keep transactions running smoothly

Published on 07 Sep 2022.

The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 ("the Act") has been enacted as part of the Government's drive to increase transparency in the ownership of UK land. Companies and other legal entities governed by the law of a country or territory outside of the UK which own land in the UK satisfying certain requirements, or wish to own such land, must now register information with Companies House. A new Register of Overseas Entities ("the ROE") has been created and certain details of the registered overseas entities and their beneficial owners are available to the public.

International Comparative Legal Guide - Construction & Engineering 2022

Published on 15 Aug 2022. By Arash Rajai, Partner and Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner and Alan Stone, Partner and Tom Green, Partner

Business Rates – an unpopular tax imposed in unfortunate circumstances

Published on 06 Dec 2021. By Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner

It is almost trite to say that retailers have had a tricky time over the last 20 months. The combination of enforced closures, and more recent supply chain difficulties and staff shortages have left them reeling. On 1 July the business rates holiday ended and, although rates will be discounted by up to 2/3rds for smaller retailers until March 2022, most will come under increased pressures. It is unsurprising that many are calling for a complete overhaul of the business rates system.

What about the arrears?

Published on 20 Aug 2021.

On 4 August 2021 the Government published a policy statement clarifying their announcement made on 16 June 2021 in relation to the extension of the forfeiture moratorium, the ringfencing of COVID-19 commercial rent debts and the introduction of a binding arbitration process. The Government has also published its own response to the views of over 500 respondents to the call for evidence.

The Forfeiture Moratorium has been extended – But what about the arrears?

Published on 26 Jul 2021.

On 16 June 2021 the Government announced that it is drafting legislation to ringfence outstanding unpaid rent that has accrued during the pandemic in order to protect jobs and give businesses breathing space to recover.

The risks of going large (again)

Published on 21 Jan 2021. By Katharine Cusack, Partner and Alexandra Anderson, Partner

In our July 2020 article , we looked at the case of Hart and Hart v Large, which concerned a survey undertaken by Mr Large for the Harts.

CLC issue new Guidance on dispute resolution in the construction industry

Published on 07 Aug 2020. By Andrew Roper, Partner

COVID-19 continues to cause significant disruption and delay to the construction industry. Whilst things are slowly returning to normal and construction sites are resuming work, there are concerns that the effect of the pandemic on projects may result in long-running and costly disputes arising. Accordingly, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) have issued guidance in an effort to promote a more pragmatic approach to dispute resolution.

Hart v Large: Important guidance for surveyors when advising prospective purchasers

Published on 02 Jul 2020. By Alexandra Anderson, Partner and Lucy Cadwallader, Associate

The judgment in Hart v Large provides important guidance on the scope of a surveyor's duty when advising prospective purchasers. It also highlights that the courts may be willing to depart from the usual measures of loss, in order to achieve what they consider to be a fair outcome.