Esports in Russia: the legal side of the issue

Table of Contents:

• Esports in Russia: the legal side of the issue
• Legal regulation of esports in Russia
• When do you need the help of a lawyer and who to contact?

The first computer games began to appear at the end of the last century. And then few people would have thought that today the International Olympic Committee would talk about the inclusion of e-sports in the program of the Olympic Games. Over the course of several decades, this area has radically changed and today it is a full-fledged sports industry "with all that it implies": scandals, stars, sponsorship, prize funds, fans.

In terms of numbers regarding esports, everything is also very serious - the prize money of the best esports teams reaches millions of dollars a year. Of course, esports is still a long way from football, but this niche is also regulated at the legal level. So, in the Russian Federation it has been "subject" to the State Federation of Computer Sports since the 2000s. And, by the way, it was Russia that was the first to recognize multiplayer computer battles as an official sport (order No. 470 of 04.29.2016 and No. 449 of 07.25.2001 of the State Sports Committee of the Russian Federation).

Legal regulation of esports in Russia

Initially, esports in Russia was controlled by the FCC (Federation of Computer Sports), a public organization that the Ministry of Sports was empowered to do. The FCC of the Russian Federation works in the field of organizing and holding competitions at various levels, and also delegates to other sports organizations the rights to hold such events. What the FCC does specifically:

• develops the rules for holding tournaments;
• creates provisions for esports events;
• certifies coaches and sports agents;
• sets qualification requirements for judges.

A complete list of the organization's rights is spelled out in article 16 of the Federal Law No.-329 "On physical culture and sports in the Russian Federation." It was the Computer Sports Federation that developed the current rules for conducting e-sports events, which were approved by order of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation No. 22. These rules take into account all international requirements and include descriptions:

• tournament schemes;
• principles of admission to competitions;
• anti-doping activities;
• requirements for those wishing to take part in the tournament;
• forms of reporting documents (recommended);
• restrictions for athletes.

Moreover, the document even contains a list of official disciplines, which include:

• World of Warships;
• World of Tanks;
• StarCraft;
• Warcraft;
• NHL;
• FIFA;
• DOTA 2;
• League of Legends.

At the same time, not every computer game with a multiplayer mode can become the basis for a tournament. So, in order to get on the "coveted list", it must meet certain requirements, including:

1. A competitive element must be present at the heart of the game.
2. At the beginning of the game, all gamers must be on an equal footing.
3. Gameplay, as such, should not be at all (or at least - as the main element).
4. It is possible to hold short-term competitions.

In the event of any disputable situations and the application of sanctions for violation of the rules in Russia there are special bodies of the 1st and 2nd instance - the Disciplinary Committee and the Appeals Committee of the FCC of the Russian Federation. If, after contacting these instances, one of the parties did not achieve the desired result for themselves, the decision can be appealed by appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

When do you need the help of a lawyer and who to contact?

Since in esports tournaments, gamers usually compete in the framework of games developed by foreign companies or the copyright holders of these games, which do not actually belong to international sports organizations, in some cases, companies that are related to an esports event (for example, accepting sports betting) may face certain problems. And in such cases, they may need a competent lawyer who knows all the intricacies of a niche.

In what other cases do you need a lawyer in esports:

1. For a team of players. Player agreements are the main agreements in eSports, which are essentially a mixture of contract and labor law. And when preparing such documents, the help of a lawyer is often needed. Moreover, each game can have its own subtleties in this regard (for example, contracts in CS: GO and Dota 2 are different).
2. For the tournament. In addition to drawing up contracts with players, a lawyer can also help in preparing for the tournament itself. In part, he must know all the intricacies of concluding contracts by type: renting special equipment and a platform, drawing up a contract with gamers, advertisers, and a game developer. It is also important to know about all the intricacies of ticket sales for a tournament.
3. To conclude an agreement with the publisher of the game. The developer has complete control over his game. And there are corporations (for example, Valve) that are loyal to the conduct of tournaments using their games, and there are other market players (for example, Blizzard) who can literally stop a tournament at any second. Therefore, in order not to worry about any force majeure on the part of the game publisher, the lawyer must also competently draw up an agreement with him, not forgetting about copyright, use, for example, in advertising, in-game content, etc.
4. To work with investors. Investing in anything is already an extremely difficult niche. Especially when it comes to esports events. Yes, the hype around tournaments attracts the attention of many investors and you also need to be able to legally work with them. Therefore, even here you cannot do without a professional lawyer who is familiar with all the pitfalls in terms of investing in eSports tournaments.

If you need the help of a lawyer who is perfectly familiar with all the intricacies of esports in Russia, contact A4 LAW FIRM and you will be provided with professional assistance in solving non-standard business problems.