In the dispute over the marketing of image rights, the German Ski Association has achieved a legal victory against the FIS World Federation.
09.10.2024, 12:43
09.10.2024, 13:12
SDA
The Munich Regional Court has largely granted an application by the DSV for a temporary injunction. According to the court, an FIS decision on centralized marketing from the spring violates European antitrust law. It may therefore not be implemented.
On April 26, the FIS decided that World Cup events in various winter sports would no longer be marketed by the national federations - as has been the case for many years - but centrally by the world federation from the 2025/26 season onwards. The FIS wants to open up new markets in the USA, China and Saudi Arabia, for example.
The FIS's decision constitutes an "unlawful restriction of competition by object", the court ruled. It also found that the FIS was exploiting "its dominant market position to the detriment of the German Ski Association". The DSV was entitled to interim legal protection because the FIS had already awarded the relevant media rights to a third-party company following its decision.
In addition to the DSV, the Austrian association Ski Austria is also taking action against the FIS. The national associations are not fundamentally against centralized marketing - on the contrary. They also consider such a step to be sensible. However, they are opposed to the actions of the FIS under its controversial President Johan Eliasch. They are demanding to be involved in the allocation and contractual design of the marketing rights. The proceedings in Austria have been postponed until the end of November.
Swiss-Ski is also critical of the FIS's plans, but has not (yet) taken any legal action.
