Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> Legal Blog Watch

Legal News

: Legal Blog Watch

Soccer Schedules Copyrightable Says British Court

By Eric Lipman

The British High Court ruled Friday that "fixtures" (a fancy British word for schedules) showing when and where soccer matches are being played can properly be subject to copyright. Meaning, of course, that if news outlets want to publish them, they'll have to pay up. According to the AP, one of the judges explained the ruling as follows: "The process of preparing fixture lists involves very significant labor and skill in satisfying the multitude of often competing requirements of those involved," Judge Christopher Floyd said. "(It is) not mere sweat of the brow, by which I mean the application of rigid criteria to the processing of data. "The quality of the solution depends in part on the skill of those involved." Whatever you say, M'Lord. I just hope that the British press can afford the royalties demanded by the leagues. Soccer hooligans cause enough mischief when they know what time the game is. Barring the publication of the schedule, they'll have to be drunkenly wandering the streets and beating people wearing the wrong color 24/7, just in case.

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on April 26, 2010 (boomark / email).