Practice Capabilities

Whether you are a player, an owner, or a tournament sponsor, you know that the sports industry is big business. Loeb & Loeb's team has extensive experience and an in-depth understanding of the unique legal issues related to sports. In addition to broad litigation and transactional services, our group offers a unique combination of complex entertainment and intellectual property expertise.

Specifically, in our diverse practice we advise and counsel clients in issues concerning:

• Transactions 
  • Sponsorship opportunities
  • Television rights, production, and distribution 
  • Broadband and mobile technology deals
  • Purchase and sale of assets
  • Event operations and risk management
  • Advertising and promotions 
  • Financing deals
• Intellectual Property 
  • Adoption, use, and protection of trademarks, service marks, trade names, Internet domain names, and trade dress   
  • Copyright protection and licensing
  • Trademark licensing opportunities
  • Combating ambush marketing tactics and enforcement of marketing rights
• Litigation 
  • Intellectual property
  • Advertising and promotions
  • Contracts

Our experience also extends to matters involving state athlete-agent laws, agent regulations, and collective bargaining agreements, as well as sports administration matters such as Title IX implementation, drug testing, and NCAA eligibility.

Service Approach

Sports is not only big business, it is also an entertainment business. At Loeb & Loeb, our clients reap the benefits of our firm’s entertainment roots. From licensing to advertising, and from intellectual property to financing, our team draws on our history and experience to provide an unparalleled depth of knowledge in all issues affecting the sports industry.

We are particularly well versed in the explosive convergence of sports and digital media such as broadband and mobile communication deals. From developing media connections to branded entertainment issues, we are able to develop and negotiate scenarios that help our clients meet their business objectives.

We also work closely with a number of other groups at Loeb & Loeb, such as our corporate, real estate, commercial finance and mergers and acquisitions teams, to provide a full range of integrated services for our sports clients. Our experience includes:

• Representing Burton Snowboards in an internet distribution and marketing agreement for its global snowboarding series
• Representing USA Sevens LLC in organizing the Collegiate Championship Invitational sevens rugby tournament and in negotiating a broadcast agreement with NBC
• Representing the Acura Classic women's tennis tournament in its sale to the Women's Tennis Association
• Representing Fútbol Club de Barcelona in a contract dispute with a television distributor
• Representing a secondary ticketing agency in negotiations with an NFL franchise
• Representing a golf equipment manufacturer in negotiation a distribution agreement
• Representing prominent athletes in licensing and sponsorship matters
• Representing the seller of an interest in a minor league soccer franchise
• Representing the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour in corporate financing matters
• Representing the PGA Tour in television matters
• Representing several tennis tours in a variety of legal matters, including sponsorship and contract negotiations and resolution of intellectual property disputes
• Working with the NCAA on issues including trademark enforcement and litigation, ambush marketing, and protection and exploitation of licensing properties and media rights
• Negotiating a favorable settlement for a premier women's tennis tournament in a dispute over Americans with Disabilities Act issues
• Negotiating and securing domain name nationals.com for MLB
• Representing a major talent agency as a codefendant in a breach of contract action brought against an Olympic figure skater
• Handling significant litigation for teams such as the New York Islanders, including an arbitration against the New Jersey Devils before NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
• Representing the Dodgers in connection with AFTRA issues with respect to the Dodgers' announcers

Clients and Industries

In addition to famous athletes, including NBA and NFL players, professional teams, and sports organizations, we represent managers, leagues, tournaments, corporate sponsors, broadcasters, and other clients in sports-related matters. Our clients include:

Leadership in Law

In November 2003, the Women's Tennis Association honored Loeb & Loeb for its work with the not-for-profit Youth League Tennis at a WTA tournament at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. Youth League Tennis organizes after-school tennis leagues for children around the country.

In addition, we are frequent lecturers and contributors to publications on topics ranging from intellectual property to marketing. In the sports industry, our Sports Practice Group leader, Brian Socolow, has authored articles in publications such as OverTime, SportBusiness International, and Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. In addition, Mr. Socolow is also a member of the Sports Lawyers Association and has been interviewed on numerous television and radio programs on a variety of sports law issues.