esports

esports is now a hugely popular, and increasingly mainstream, form of entertainment in the UK and throughout the world. Given recent heavy investment into esports organisations, tournaments and platforms, and with the financial rewards available for professional gamers and audience viewing figures at an all-time high, there are undoubtedly significant opportunities for existing stakeholders within esports as well as the next generation of players and potential sponsors and investors who are looking to get a foothold within this fast growing industry.

We pride ourselves on being a full-service firm with one of the leading sports and interactive entertainment practices in Europe and we represent some of the biggest names in esports, as well as exciting start-ups and fledgling esports organisations. Our aim is to demystify the complex regulatory and governance issues affecting esports and provide strategic, commercial advice and user-friendly agreements to help our clients achieve their objectives.

As the popularity of esports continues to grow, and consolidation (and potentially regulation) within the currently fragmented industry makes the esports scene easier to navigate, commercial opportunities in this space will grow in parallel. In particular the value, complexity and sophistication of brand partnerships within esports is likely to increase significantly and our extensive experience advising on some of the most significant sponsorships in the sports and entertainment industries, and in connection with other forms of entertainment, ensures that we are well positioned to advise both sponsors and rights-holders on how best to protect their position and get value from their partnerships.

Our advice

As a law firm with significant experience advising on traditional sports, live events, gaming and interactive entertainment products and platforms, we are uniquely placed to advise on the full range of commercial, corporate and regulatory issues faced by those taking their first steps into esports, as well as more established brands and individuals who are looking to develop their profile and expand their presence within esports. Our work includes advising on:

Incorporation and company set up issues
Investment and shareholder agreements
Sponsorship and licensing agreements
Influencer and brand ambassador arrangements
Advertising and marketing regulations
Trade mark and IP issues
Event staging and venue hire agreements
Ticketing, hospitality and merchandising
Arrangements with streaming platforms and broadcasters
Content production
Player, coach and manager contracts and tournament participation agreements
Player transfers
Employment issues, immigration and worker status
Disputes and litigation
Reputation management and social media
Data protection
Integrity issues including doping, match fixing and player welfare

Recent work

Advising start up and grassroots esports organisations on company set up matters, player contracts, trade mark and IP issues and various commercial agreements.
Advising various well-established global esports organisations on player contracts, reputation management issues, investor arrangements and sponsorship agreements.
Advising Premier League football clubs on their strategy within esports and the drafting and negotiation of sponsorship agreements.
Advising various games publishers on their esports titles and licensing arrangements.
Advising a leading provider of gaming peripherals on its sponsorship and supply arrangements.
Advising on the staging of esports events at various venues, including drafting and negotiating various commercial agreements in connection with the events.

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Our team

Michael Lister

Alan Moss

Kostyantyn Lobov

Mike Jones

Chien-Wei Lui

Liam Haeburn-Little