The essence of a successful sponsorship relationship is for the sponsor to know what it can expect and for the rights owner to be fully aware of what it is required to deliver. It is vital to get this right at both the negotiation and contract stage. The true art of drafting and negotiating a sponsorship agreement is to know what to look for from both a legal and a practical commercial perspective. Our knowledge of the sponsorship industry enables us to offer practical advice on additional rights and benefits that a sponsor should be looking for.
“Harbottle & Lewis is ‘excellent – highly professional, diligent and expert’, especially for sponsorship matters.”
The Legal 500, 2012
We can advise you on issues arising from sales promotions, advertising and marketing issues to rights activation, intellectual property protection and industry specific regulatory and commercial issues which may affect the scope, value and delivery of the rights being granted. Because we act for and understand the needs of both sponsors and rights owners (such as events and teams), you can expect us to negotiate the best deal possible. We work with clients in all sectors of the media and entertainment industries including sport, music, fashion and the arts, and have specialist expertise in advising on the grant and exploitation of sponsorship rights and benefits across mobile and other new media platforms.
We can advise you on:
- Sponsorship across “traditional” and digital media platforms
- Endorsement
- Merchandising
- Licensing arrangements
- Sales promotions and marketing issues
- Compliance matters (e.g. with ICSTIS, ASA, OFCOM codes).
ENDORSEMENT
“Harbottle & Lewis have been Emirates’ media and sponsorship advisors of choice for a number of years. In particular, Bob Mitchell and Anil Matharu have advised Emirates on a number of recent high-profile sponsorships including the Emirates Air Line cable car project across the Thames and the US Open tennis championships. We are very happy with the quality of their advice, tenacity and attention to detail and look forward to working with them on future projects.” Jennie Horsfall Turner, Legal Support Services Manager, Emirates
CLIENTS AND WORK HIGHLIGHTS
We have been providing specialist advice on sponsorship, endorsement and merchandising matters since the early 1990s.
RECENT WORK
Renault - Sponsorship of Rihanna’s 2011′Loud’ UK tour
We advised Renault on the terms on which it agreed to sponsor Rihanna in relation to her 2011 UK tour, which included the grant of naming rights to the tour.
Emirates – the “Emirates Air Line” (Transport for London cable car).
We advised Emirates on the terms of its 10 year sponsorship of the Transport for London cable car, “Emirates Air Line”, which was built in summer 2012 across the river Thames between North Greenwich and Royal Victoria Docks. It is the first time that naming rights have been granted in respect of a TfL mode of transport. As part of the arrangements all TfL London transport network maps will display the “Emirates Air Line”, with the route displayed on all transport maps in Emirates’ distinctive red.
Diageo – “Smirnoff Presents Sensation”
We advised Diageo in relation to all of the contractual arrangements for ‘Smirnoff presents Sensation’, a DJ led live dance music/brand collaboration which was held at the O2 Arena on 13 August 2011. This involved advising on various sponsorship, staging, co-production and co-branding, licensing and rights exploitation issues as well as the venue arrangements with AEG to hire the O2 Arena for the event.
The Royal Household and The Royal Warrant Holders Association – Coronation Festival
We are currently advising The Royal Household and The Royal Warrant Holders’ Association, the representative body for 850 Royal Warrant Holders, in relation to all sponsorship arrangements relating to the 2013 Coronation Festival, which is scheduled to take place in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in 2013 and which shall showcase the best of British industry.
Society of London Theatre – Mastercard’s sponsorship of the Olivier Awards (title sponsorship)
The Prince’s Charities Events Limited – Start: A Garden Party With A Difference
We advised PCEL in relation to all of the sponsorship arrangements underpinning this programme for sustainability and innovation which aims to inspire, encourage and enable people throughout the world to start to modify their behaviour to lower their use of carbon.
Thames Festival Trust – Barclays (renewal)
We advised on the Thames Festival Trust, a non-for-profit charitable trust, in relation to the renewal of Barclays’ sponsorship of the 2008 Thames Festival, London’s largest annual outdoor arts festival.
Society of London Theatre
We advised the Society of London Theatre (“SOLT”) in relation to MasterCard’s title sponsorship of 2012 Olivier Awards, the annual theatre awards recognising the best in professional theatre in London, and in particular on SOLT’s compliance with the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and the implications on MasterCard’s ability to activate its sponsorship rights.
