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Sports LawFrom sponsorship agreements to the use of athletes' likenesses, event participation terms and broadcasting and streaming, our attorneys work out how rights correspond to consideration.

Free consultation Why LegalAgent
Response time
1 business day*
First consultation
30 min free
Scope
Sponsors · Athletes · Events · Broadcasting

* As a rule, for contract reviews and routine legal questions. For complex or urgent matters we propose a schedule that fits the matter.

Client companies served*

150+

Selected clients shown, in no particular order. * Clients and partners. Not limited to Sports Law matters.

KADOKAWA FRONTEO YAMAP ACROVE LAPRAS AVA Intelligence OPTIEUM Biotechnologies ReDelta Concrew LINEA Innovations TECHSUITE YStory

Balancing rights and consideration in sports business through contracts

Sponsors, athletes, event participants, and broadcasters and streaming providers each start from different rights and obligations. We confirm how far exposure media, exclusivity, the scope of likeness use and the scope of broadcasting and streaming should be granted in return for sponsorship fees or compensation, and build the correspondence between the scope of rights and the consideration into contract clauses and operating rules.

  • You cannot tell whether the sponsorship fee and the scope of exposure are in balance
  • The scope of use of an athlete's likeness differs between the affiliation agreement and advertising deals
  • The participation terms do not set out who is responsible for accidents at events
  • After misconduct is reported, you need to decide quickly how to respond under sponsorship agreements

Why LegalAgent

With LegalAgent, your contracts also cover misconduct and accidents

We support event management and rights businesses in three ways: fast answers, fees you know before we start, and deliverables you can use for both contracts and operating rules.

  1. 01Speed

    Typical law firms3–5 business days

    LegalAgent1 business day, as a rule

    We work back from event dates and renewal timing

    We answer contract reviews and routine legal questions within one business day as a rule. When the event date or the contract renewal timing is set, we work back from it to plan the order of our review.

  2. 02Fees

    Hourly billingTotal unknown at the start

    LegalAgentScope and fee set before we start

    We quote from contract types and the number of parties

    We ask about the types and number of contracts to review and the number of parties involved, such as sponsors and athletes, and give you an estimate before we start. Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee.

  3. 03Deliverables

    • Sponsorship agreement revisions
    • Scope of rights table
    • Draft accident response flow

    We deliver contracts and operating rules together

    Along with proposed contract revisions, we prepare the operating documents used on the ground, such as a likeness use checklist, draft social media posting rules and a draft accident response flow.

* Response times are for contract reviews and routine legal questions; they vary by matter.

How it works

The AI Agent organizes the contractual relationships; attorneys decide the scope of rights

The AI Agent extracts issues from contracts and entry guidelines and prepares first drafts; attorneys decide how to set the scope of exposure, the scope of likeness use and the allocation of responsibility for accidents.

AI Agentdoes the work

  • Maps the scope of rights and the parties from contracts and participation terms
  • Draws on clause examples from similar contracts and templates
  • Drafts contract revisions and participation terms

Attorneysmake the judgment

  • Check that the sponsorship fee matches the scope of exposure and exclusivity
  • Determine who licensed likeness and publicity, and how far
  • Take responsibility for the final contract clauses and response strategy
ConsultationRevisions and operating rules delivered
  1. STEP 01Confirming the parties and contractual relationships

    Confirm the parties (sponsors, athletes, event participants, broadcasters and streaming providers, etc.) and their respective contractual relationships and rights and obligations

    A list of points to confirm and the response strategy

  2. STEP 02Organizing the scope of rights and consideration

    Confirm how the scope of rights (exposure media, exclusivity, scope of likeness use, scope of broadcasting and streaming, etc.) corresponds to the consideration

    Scope of rights table and list of issues

  3. STEP 03Reviewing contract clauses and preparing proposed revisions

    Review the contract clauses and prepare proposed revisions and alternative clauses

    Draft contract or proposed revisions

  4. STEP 04Organizing operating rules and response flows

    Organize internal operating rules based on the contract clauses, or response flows for accidents and misconduct

    Draft operating rules or draft response flow

  • Attorneys make the final callAn attorney checks every deliverable and takes responsibility for it.
  • Your inputs are not used to train AIOn top of attorneys' statutory duty of confidentiality, we work in an environment where your inputs are not used to train AI.
  • An AI Agent built in-houseOur own engineers develop it. Information Security Policy

Use cases

Common requests and what you receive

The consultation situations that arise in sponsorship agreements, athlete-related agreements, event management and broadcasting and streaming are mapped from the starting point to the deliverables.

  1. 01

    We plan to sign a sponsorship agreement, but negotiations are proceeding while the exposure and exclusivity granted in exchange for the sponsorship fee remain vague

    If left aloneSigning without guaranteed exposure commensurate with the fee and without settled terms on excluding competitors or termination and fee reduction in the event of misconduct, so that a mismatch in understanding with the sponsor surfaces later

    What we doSet out the sponsorship fee and the corresponding scope of rights (exposure media, display period, exclusivity, whether athletes can be featured), and consider whether termination and fee reduction clauses for misconduct are needed

    What you receive
    • Draft or proposed revisions to the sponsorship agreement
    • Scope of rights table
    • Negotiation strategy memo

  2. 02

    We want to use an athlete's likeness in merchandise or advertising, but have not worked out how far permission has been obtained through the affiliation agreement or from the athlete

    If left aloneUse of the likeness beyond the scope of the license leads to disputes with the athlete's side or breaches of the duty to explain to advertisers and sponsors

    What we doReview the scope of use, consideration and whether sublicensing to third parties is permitted under the affiliation agreement and the likeness license agreement

    What you receive
    • Review results for the likeness license clauses
    • Checklist for merchandising and advertising use
    • Proposed contract revisions

  3. 03

    Our event or competition is approaching, but we have not worked out the participation terms or the allocation of responsibility in the event of an accident

    If left aloneHolding the event without clear allocation of responsibility for accidents involving participants, spectators or volunteers, so that later negotiations and compensation fall behind

    What we doReview the participation terms, disclaimers and insurance coverage, and set out the initial response and allocation of responsibility in the event of an accident

    What you receive
    • Draft participation terms and consent form
    • Draft accident response flow
    • Insurance coverage review results

  4. 04

    Misconduct by one of our athletes or our team has come to light, and we need to confirm our response under the sponsorship agreements

    If left aloneProceeding with public explanations without checking the contractual termination and fee reduction conditions, causing further damage to the contractual relationship and trust with sponsors

    What we doReview the morals clauses, termination conditions and notification obligations in the sponsorship agreements, and set out the options for the response strategy

    What you receive
    • Contract clause review results
    • Options for the response strategy
    • Issue analysis for explanatory materials for sponsors

  5. 05

    We want to license footage of our events or matches to broadcasters or streaming providers, but have not worked out the scope of rights or exclusivity

    If left aloneSigning while the exclusive scope of broadcasting and streaming rights and the terms of secondary use remain vague, constraining provision to other media and future archive streaming

    What we doReview the scope of broadcasting and streaming, exclusivity or non-exclusivity, secondary use and consideration, and build them into the contract clauses

    What you receive
    • Draft or proposed revisions to the broadcasting and streaming agreement
    • Scope of rights table
    • Negotiation strategy memo

Scope of our sports law support

For sponsorship agreements, athlete-related agreements, event and competition management and broadcasting and streaming agreements, we set out the points we review, the judgments we make and the deliverables.

Sponsorship agreements
We focus on the scope of rights corresponding to the sponsorship fee and the conditions for termination and fee reduction in the event of misconduct.
  • Review and drafting of sponsorship agreements
Athlete-related agreements
We review clauses on team affiliation, licenses to use likeness and publicity, and social media posting.
  • Review and drafting of affiliation and athlete agreements
  • Confirming the scope of likeness and publicity licenses
  • Organizing contract clauses and rules on athletes' social media posting
Event and competition management
We review participation terms and the allocation of responsibility and insurance coverage in the event of an accident.
  • Review and drafting of participation terms and consent forms
  • Confirming allocation of responsibility and insurance coverage for accidents
Broadcasting and streaming, and response to misconduct
We review rights clearance for footage and the response under sponsorship agreements when misconduct occurs.
  • Review and negotiation of broadcasting and streaming agreements
  • Organizing the response under sponsorship agreements when misconduct occurs

Our approach

What we focus on in Sports Law

In sports law, we place weight on the following perspectives.

  1. 01

    Confirming how the sponsorship fee corresponds to the scope of rights through concrete terms

    In a sponsorship agreement, the core of the terms is not the sponsorship fee itself but the scope of rights granted in return, such as exposure media, display period, exclusivity and whether athletes can be featured. We confirm the exposure effects your business plan values and reflect them in the clauses.

  2. 02

    Separating the rights of individual athletes from the interests of the team and sponsors

    Likeness and publicity are interests that belong to the individual athlete, and in some cases cannot be dealt with wholesale in affiliation or sponsorship agreements. We confirm, contract by contract, who has licensed what and to what extent, so that no inconsistencies remain.

  3. 03

    In event management, separating risks by the position of participants, spectators and volunteers

    In event and competition management, the nature of the risks borne by participants, spectators and volunteers differs. Rather than relying on a uniform disclaimer, we review the accident response and insurance coverage for each position.

  4. 04

    When misconduct occurs, prioritizing consistency between contract clauses and public explanations

    When misconduct by an athlete or team occurs, we review the termination and fee reduction conditions in the sponsorship agreements and set the response strategy while keeping it consistent with what is explained publicly.

Pricing

Sports law fees

For consultations on sponsorship agreements, athlete-related agreements, event management and broadcasting and streaming agreements, we provide an estimate after hearing about the contracts involved and the situation of the parties.

How fees are set

Scope and fee agreed before we start

Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee. For complex or urgent matters, we propose a schedule and an estimate that fit the matter.

First consultation

A free 30-minute online meeting.

You can come to us before your documents are in order. Tell us what you know so far.

Free consultation

What we check before quoting

  • Types and number of contracts to review (sponsorship agreements, athlete agreements, participation terms, broadcasting and streaming agreements, etc.)
  • Number of parties (number of sponsors, number of athletes, scale of event participation, etc.)
  • Complexity of the scope of rights for likeness and publicity use or broadcasting and streaming
  • Time remaining until the event date or contract renewal
  • Whether operating rules or ongoing support are needed after the contract is signed

The estimate varies with the content of the contracts to be reviewed and the situation of the parties, so we first hear about your consultation and then present an estimate.

Team & Record

Attorneys who know business practice handle your matters

Contract reviews and drafts
2,000+
Client companies
150+
Startup legal matters
200+
Legal and investment DD
20+

* Approximate figures based on matters handled by our firm; actual figures vary by matter.

Engineers

Shinya Makita and Sota Miya build our product on the same team as the attorneys.

Practical guides to sports business contracts

LicensingIntellectual Property and Scope of Use to Check When Reviewing a License Agreement

Permission to post an image on a website does not necessarily mean it can be used in social media ads or at trade shows. Check the methods of use, the scope of exclusivity, how consideration is calculated, and the handling of inventory and data upon termination.

Related practice areas

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we consult you while the sponsorship agreement is still under negotiation?

You can consult us from the stage when contract terms are being negotiated. We can also review the scope of rights and exclusivity corresponding to the sponsorship fee before you present them to the counterparty.

Do you also accept engagements directly from athletes or management agencies?

Yes. You can consult us from the athlete's side as well about the scope of use of likeness and publicity in affiliation agreements and individual advertising or merchandise deals.

Can we consult you if the event is imminent and the participation terms are not ready?

Even when the event is approaching, we review your existing participation terms and entry guidelines and advise on the disclaimers and methods of obtaining consent that should be prioritized.

How should image rights and the right of publicity be organized in a contract?

Image rights are generally understood as a personal interest, and the right of publicity as an economic interest in using the customer-attracting power of a person's name and likeness. In the contract, it is likely necessary to specify the purpose of use, media, period and consideration concretely from both perspectives.

Can we consult you if misconduct by an athlete or team has already been reported in the media?

You can consult us even after media reports. We review the termination and fee reduction conditions and notification obligations under the sponsorship agreements and set out the options for a response strategy consistent with public explanations.

Can you also handle labor and governance matters for the team operating company?

Internal labor management and corporate structure of the team operating company themselves are handled on the Labor and HR or Corporate Governance pages. This page focuses on consultations about sponsorship agreements, athlete agreements, event management and broadcasting and streaming agreements.

How do broadcasting and streaming agreements differ from agreements for the content and entertainment industry?

Broadcasting and streaming agreements for footage of sports events and matches are reviewed on this page. For agreements on content planning and production or streaming businesses in general, please also see the IP and Entertainment page.

Contact

Talk to us about sponsorship agreements or event management

Please share the information known at this point, such as sponsorship agreements, athlete agreements or participation terms. We can begin reviewing even before everything has been organized.

  • A free 30-minute online first meeting
  • You can consult us on sponsorship agreements still under negotiation
  • We also act for athletes and management agencies