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OS i missbruk av dominerande ställning - En konkurrensrättslig analys av SOK:s riktlinjer beträffande marknadsföring under den olympiska perioden

Forssblad, Ask LU (2020) JURM02 20202
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
The Swedish Olympic Committee's (SOC) guidelines ”Olympic properties and marketing – Information to Federations (NFs), athletes and coaches before the Tokyo 2020 OG” regulates the commercial opportunities for athletes, NFs and non-Olympic partners during and in connection with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The guidelines are issued in accordance with bye-law 3 to Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter and The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) general principles for marketing activities, and particularly restrict Swedish athletes’ generic commercial activities (i.e. commercial activities whose only connection with the OG is an Olympic athlete). The fact that athletes and other relevant organizations concerned are bound by a unilateral... (More)
The Swedish Olympic Committee's (SOC) guidelines ”Olympic properties and marketing – Information to Federations (NFs), athletes and coaches before the Tokyo 2020 OG” regulates the commercial opportunities for athletes, NFs and non-Olympic partners during and in connection with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The guidelines are issued in accordance with bye-law 3 to Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter and The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) general principles for marketing activities, and particularly restrict Swedish athletes’ generic commercial activities (i.e. commercial activities whose only connection with the OG is an Olympic athlete). The fact that athletes and other relevant organizations concerned are bound by a unilateral and legally binding civil law framework that expands the legal protection against improper and disloyal business practices is most assuredly not a sports-unique phenomenon. However, considering that SOC's guidelines considerably restricts Swedish athletes’ commercial rights during the Olympics and that the German competition authority Bundes-kartellamt in December 2017 found that the German Olympic Sports Confederation's (DOSB) in substantial parts identical guidelines regarding the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro could constitute an abuse of DOSB's and IOC's dominant position on the relevant market, there is reason to further assess whether SOC's marketing guidelines violates article 102 TFEU.

SOC's guidelines and their relation to EU competition rules are complicated by the specificity of sports and its internal organisation, which must be recognised and taken into account when assessing regulatory aspects of sports. This relationship is further complicated by the fact that SOC's regulation, at least in part, provides IOC and SOC a necessary protection against ambush marketing. In order to assess the extent to which sporting interests and sporting peculiarities can justify an exception from article 102 TFEU, selective parts of the Trademarks Act, the Marketing Act and EU law are analysed. In particular the analysis takes account of the Trademarks Act's registration requirements, the Marketing Act's stipulation that all marketing shall be consistent with good marketing practice and the EU principle of a single federation per sport. Furthermore, the analysis takes the core objectives of the internal market into account.

The analysis of applicable law shows that SOC's guidelines seem to be incompatible with article 102 FEUF. Consequently, a number of suggestions for adjustments in the said guidelines are presented. These suggestions include, but are not limited to, that Swedish athletes should be able partake in generic advertising campaigns with non-Olympic sponsors during the Games period without prior consent from SOC and without unreasonable time limitations, that non-Olympic sponsors should be able to post generic congratulatory advertising during the Games period and that small businesses should be able to promote local athletes they sponsor unhindered by the guidelines, insofar the undertaken marketing activities are generic and otherwise compatible with the Olympic values and anti-ambush marketing laws, and are conducted without unduly infringing on official Olympic partners monetary interests. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Sveriges Olympiska Kommittés (SOK) riktlinjer ”Olympiska rättigheter och marknadsföring – Information till förbund, aktiva och ledare inför OS i Tokyo 2020” reglerar förutsättningarna för utövares, idrottsförbunds och icke-olympiska partners marknadsföringsaktiviteter under och i anknytning till OS i Tokyo. Riktlinjerna är utfärdade på grundval av 40 § tredje stycket Internationella Olympiska Kommitténs (IOK) stadgar samt IOK:s allmänna principer för marknadsföringsaktiviteter och begränsar i synnerhet svenska utövares generiska kommersiella förehavanden (d.v.s. kommersiella aktiviteter vars enda koppling till OS är utövaren själv). Att idrottsutövare och andra berörda organisationer är bundna av ett ensidigt utformat civilrättsligt... (More)
Sveriges Olympiska Kommittés (SOK) riktlinjer ”Olympiska rättigheter och marknadsföring – Information till förbund, aktiva och ledare inför OS i Tokyo 2020” reglerar förutsättningarna för utövares, idrottsförbunds och icke-olympiska partners marknadsföringsaktiviteter under och i anknytning till OS i Tokyo. Riktlinjerna är utfärdade på grundval av 40 § tredje stycket Internationella Olympiska Kommitténs (IOK) stadgar samt IOK:s allmänna principer för marknadsföringsaktiviteter och begränsar i synnerhet svenska utövares generiska kommersiella förehavanden (d.v.s. kommersiella aktiviteter vars enda koppling till OS är utövaren själv). Att idrottsutövare och andra berörda organisationer är bundna av ett ensidigt utformat civilrättsligt regelverk som utvidgar det legala skyddet mot otillbörliga och illojala näringsåtgärder är inte en idrottunik företeelse. Alldenstund SOK:s riktlinjer storligen begränsar utövares kommer-siella rättigheter och att den tyska konkurrenstillsynsmyndigheten Bundeskartellamt i slutet av 2017 preliminärt bedömande att Tysklands Olympiska Kommittés snarlika riktlinjer inför OS i Rio de Janeiro var oförenliga med artikel 102 FEUF finns det emellertid anledning att utreda huruvida SOK:s marknadsföringsriktlinjer är förenliga med EU:s konkurrensregler.

SOK:s riktlinjer och deras förhållande till unionens konkurrensregler kompliceras av att idrottens särart och dess organisatoriska uppbyggnad fordrar vissa avsteg från den gängse konkurrensrättsliga prövningen. Förhållandet kompliceras ytterligare av att SOK:s regelverk är ägnat att komplettera det stundom bristande legala skyddet mot bakhållsmarknadsföring. För att utreda i vad mån idrottsliga intressen respektive idrottslig säregenhet kan motivera avsteg från unionens förbud mot missbruk av dominerande ställning görs selektiva nedslag i gällande nationell varumärkes- och marknadsföringsrätt samt unionsrättsliga styrdokument och generalklausuler. Fr.a. presenteras och analyseras det i VML uppställda förbudet mot registrering av deskriptiva ordtecken, MFL:s förbud mot renommésnyltning och obehöriga alluderingar om sponsorskap samt den unionsrättsligt vedertagna principen om ett idrottsförbund per idrott. Därtill beaktas den inre marknadens funktion och syften särskilt.

Utredningen av gällande rätt visar att SOK:s marknadsföringsriktlinjer förefaller strida mot unionens konkurrensrättsliga regelverk. Följaktligen presenteras ett antal förslag till justeringar i nämnda riktlinjer. Dessa förslag innefattar, men är inte begränsade till, att SOK bör ta bort kravet om att marknadsaktiviteter ska tillställas SOK för förhandsgodkännande, att i SOK:s riktlinjer uppställda tids- och antalsbegränsningar beträffande marknadsföringsaktiviteter bör ändras i tillåtande riktning och i förekommande fall tas bort helt, samt att småföretag som sponsrar lokala idrottstalanger bör undantas riktlinjerna, försåvitt vidtagna marknadsförings- åtgärder till sin utformning är generiska, till sitt innehåll är förenliga SOK:s värdegrund och bedrivs utan att otillbörligen konkurrensutsätta SOK:s och/eller IOK:s samarbetspartners. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Forssblad, Ask LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
OG in abuse of dominant position - A competition law analysis of SOC's guidelines regarding commercial activities during the Games period
course
JURM02 20202
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
EU-rätt, konkurrensrätt, idrottsjuridik, marknadsrätt
language
Swedish
id
9034326
date added to LUP
2021-01-25 11:12:10
date last changed
2021-01-27 09:58:02
@misc{9034326,
  abstract     = {{The Swedish Olympic Committee's (SOC) guidelines ”Olympic properties and marketing – Information to Federations (NFs), athletes and coaches before the Tokyo 2020 OG” regulates the commercial opportunities for athletes, NFs and non-Olympic partners during and in connection with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The guidelines are issued in accordance with bye-law 3 to Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter and The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) general principles for marketing activities, and particularly restrict Swedish athletes’ generic commercial activities (i.e. commercial activities whose only connection with the OG is an Olympic athlete). The fact that athletes and other relevant organizations concerned are bound by a unilateral and legally binding civil law framework that expands the legal protection against improper and disloyal business practices is most assuredly not a sports-unique phenomenon. However, considering that SOC's guidelines considerably restricts Swedish athletes’ commercial rights during the Olympics and that the German competition authority Bundes-kartellamt in December 2017 found that the German Olympic Sports Confederation's (DOSB) in substantial parts identical guidelines regarding the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro could constitute an abuse of DOSB's and IOC's dominant position on the relevant market, there is reason to further assess whether SOC's marketing guidelines violates article 102 TFEU.

SOC's guidelines and their relation to EU competition rules are complicated by the specificity of sports and its internal organisation, which must be recognised and taken into account when assessing regulatory aspects of sports. This relationship is further complicated by the fact that SOC's regulation, at least in part, provides IOC and SOC a necessary protection against ambush marketing. In order to assess the extent to which sporting interests and sporting peculiarities can justify an exception from article 102 TFEU, selective parts of the Trademarks Act, the Marketing Act and EU law are analysed. In particular the analysis takes account of the Trademarks Act's registration requirements, the Marketing Act's stipulation that all marketing shall be consistent with good marketing practice and the EU principle of a single federation per sport. Furthermore, the analysis takes the core objectives of the internal market into account. 

The analysis of applicable law shows that SOC's guidelines seem to be incompatible with article 102 FEUF. Consequently, a number of suggestions for adjustments in the said guidelines are presented. These suggestions include, but are not limited to, that Swedish athletes should be able partake in generic advertising campaigns with non-Olympic sponsors during the Games period without prior consent from SOC and without unreasonable time limitations, that non-Olympic sponsors should be able to post generic congratulatory advertising during the Games period and that small businesses should be able to promote local athletes they sponsor unhindered by the guidelines, insofar the undertaken marketing activities are generic and otherwise compatible with the Olympic values and anti-ambush marketing laws, and are conducted without unduly infringing on official Olympic partners monetary interests.}},
  author       = {{Forssblad, Ask}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{OS i missbruk av dominerande ställning - En konkurrensrättslig analys av SOK:s riktlinjer beträffande marknadsföring under den olympiska perioden}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}