Fast-paced sports and entertainment clients are represented by Schwabe.
Overview
Led by an NBA team’s former General Counsel, Schwabe’s Sports and Entertainment group possesses first-hand knowledge of business and legal implications involved in this sector. We are passionate about the connection sports and entertainment bring to our communities.
We serve sports teams, owners and governing bodies, investors, corporate sponsors, entertainers, entertainment venues, and developers. As our clients’ biggest fans, we support them during critical negotiations, transactions, disputes, compliance, intellectual property and licensing, sponsorship deals, and real estate matters.
Sports Teams
We work with sports teams across multiple leagues in their foundational transactions and challenges, including:
- Franchise expansion and purchase and sales
- Jersey and other key sponsorships
- Trademark registration, brand protection and enforcement, and anti-counterfeiting
- Collective bargaining agreements and labor relations
- Player contracts
- League compliance and training
- Team versus team disputes
- Team versus player grievances
- Team and workplace investigations
- Insurance coverage analysis and disputes
- Tax analysis
Venues
Clients in this sector look to us for our knowledge and skills in representing large and small venues with their key operational transactions and issues, including:
- Public-private arena and stadium partnerships
- Arena and stadium land use, development, and leasing
- Venue naming rights and event licensing
- Ticketing platforms
- Food and beverage
- Liquor licensing
- Security equipment and services
- Venue labor relations (stagehands, engineers)
- Tax planning
Entertainment
We bring extensive experience representing brands and creators, licensees, and other businesses in the key commercial transactions and enforcement that drive brand strategy in the content-consumer industry.
- Music, film, TV, and media licensing
- Copyright and trademark clearance, registration, and enforcement
- Book publishing
- Life rights and name and likeness licensing
- Artist and creator representation
- Promotional and commercial advertising campaigns
- Marketing claims and claim substantiation
- Sponsorship arrangements
- Influencers and brand ambassadors
- Celebrity endorsements
Clients we Represent
Experience
- Negotiated NBA and concert venue naming rights.
- Closed multiple linear, over-the-air, and digital media rights deals.
- Negotiated NBA franchise jersey patch sponsorship.
- Arranged an outdoor stadium concert series co-promotion agreement.
- Settled NBA and MLS venues’ ticketing platform agreements.
- Brokered NBA and G-league venue’s food and beverage vendor agreements.
- Handled asset sales of two NBA Development League franchises.
- Handled players’ and coaches’ immigration matters.
- Dealt with multiple theater locations handling their ADA compliance claims.
- Worked with a major venue rebuild project, handling their land use due diligence.
- Worked on Climate Pledge Arena as their construction company’s land use and project development attorney.
- Advised on the negotiation and preparation of NFL franchise licensing agreements.
- Worked with college athletes regarding NIL deals.
On Par with Excellence
Pivoting from handcrafted golf accessories to personal protective equipment, Schwabe’s client Seamus Golf is on par with excellence.
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