Robinson Bradshaw has more than twenty years of extensive legal experience and industry knowledge in sports and entertainment law. Our sports and entertainment practice involves substantial work and relationships at the cutting edge of our client’s businesses. As a corporate law firm, we start with the premise that it is fundamental for us to understand the industry, our client’s business and objectives, and the current market conditions. We have been in the forefront of drafting and negotiating a wide variety of sports and entertainment contracts, organizing and structuring entities and resolving disputes. Our lawyers are nationally known and recognized leaders. In particular, (i) for more than twenty years Robinson Bradshaw has helped shape the legal landscape of the American motorsports industry, (ii) we have represented collegiate conferences and associations in numerous matters, including groundbreaking broadcast deals, and (iii) our clients include many other major players in industries including professional sports (e.g., football, basketball, baseball, golf), television, film and music.
Our primary areas of emphasis are:
- Assisting clients with the organization and formation of new teams, entities and joint ventures
- Representing clients in connection with the purchase and sale of teams and other companies and of other businesses and assets, as well as joint ventures and comprehensive turn-key servicing arrangements
- Structuring, drafting and negotiating a wide range of contracts, such as personal and professional services agreements, sponsorship agreements, license agreements, television and broadcast agreements, broadband and digital rights agreements, book publishing and ghostwriter agreements, agent agreements, personal services and endorsement agreements, and marketing agreements
- Helping clients develop and enforce a comprehensive strategy for protecting intellectual property, including the protection of ideas and inventions under patent and trade secret law, the protection of written and electronic documents and video content under copyright law, and the protection of a client’s image under publicity, privacy and defamation law
- Advising clients on issues related to trademark law, including the protection and licensing of trademarks and the enforcement of rights against infringers
- Advising clients on employment-related issues, including the drafting of employment and independent contractor contracts, enforcement of confidentiality and noncompetition agreements and resolving issues about the ownership of developments
- Handling routine litigation matters for clients, including matters such as collection disputes and termination of athlete agreements, sponsorships or licenses
- Assisting clients with understanding, interpreting and complying with rules of governing and sanctioning bodies
- Investigating regulations or issues that may affect areas of importance to sports clients, such as evaluating specific issues of concern when dealing with licensing or sponsorship involving alcoholic beverage sponsors or unique tax issues encountered by nonprofit entities such as universities or collegiate conferences
- Promptly reacting to emergency situations that may arise from time to time such as accidents, “morals clause” disputes or other matters that have obtained sudden media exposure
- Helping clients minimize sponsor and other conflicts when managing a multitude of complex sponsor and licensing arrangements
- Working with clients in the formation, development and maintenance of foundations, charitable enterprises and other nonprofit ventures