Since Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the largest independent video games’ developer and publisher worldwide, competitors and national competition authorities alike have been busy, around the world, in assessing the potential substantial lessening of competition that such a large deal may entail. Let’s dive in, and assess where this acquisition is at, in…
Resolving disputes in the sports’ world is often seen as an opaque and ‟old boys’ network” affair: are these prejudices justified? If so, does CAS do all it can to adequately address such issues, and ensure that its arbitration processes are fair, inclusive, impartial and independent? What are the hot topics on which CAS needs…
Gaming, and the competitive games sector, in particular esports and virtual sports, are growing exponentially. The magnitude of such growth can be measured by global financial, economic and social metrics. While this development is no doubt advantageous for the sports, gaming and esports sectors, it raises issues in relation to the most adequate ways to…
Back in 2018, I wrote an article on the use of alternative dispute resolution (‟ADR”) – in particular, arbitration – in the creative industries. On the back of the California arbitration week, and the Paris arbitration week, which both took place earlier this year in March and April 2022, it is worth revisiting whether ADR…
Perhaps surprisingly in a Conservative government, the IR35 rules have been tightened, in order to ensure that the taxman gets its fair share of revenues, when creators and their clients enter into entertainment, film, media and professional sports contractual arrangements. What is at stake for the creative industries in the UK? How to make the…
