Leading Law Firm in Sports Law

Sports law: a historical know-how

As a leading French sports law firm, FAJGENBAUM has been providing expert advice and robust legal defence for over 40 years to major players in the sports sector, securing their tournaments, contracts and commercial rights.

Originally advising the Organising Committee for the Winter Olympic Games (Albertville’ 92), the Firm has continued to develop its expertise to become one of the leaders in this field in France and in Europe.

We support the organising committees of major international tournaments, such as the UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 Ryder Cup, the 2023 Alpine Ski World Championships and the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

FAJGENBAUM is also the privileged partner of major French sports federations and leagues (tennis, rugby, climbing, etc.) as well as renowned clubs (particularly football and basketball), to whom it offers tailored support in all legal aspects relating to sports.

Sports law: managing, protecting and defending your rights

Legal advice and support

The Firm advises and assist:

Organisers of sporting events (Olympic Games, World Cups and Championships, European Championships, etc.),
Sports clubs, associations, national and international federations,
Agencies specializing in media rights and sports marketing,
Local authorities, partners or organisers of tournaments,
Athletes.

Contracts and regulations

FAJGENBAUM drafts and supervises all types of sports-related contracts:

Commercial agreements: audiovisual concessions, partnership contracts, volunteering programmes,
Transfers and employment of athletes: transfer contracts, employment contracts and sports agency contracts,
Ticketing and spectator rights: ticket distribution, prevention of ticket trafficking, terms and conditions of sale,
Sports regulation: compatibility with national and international federation rules.

Litigation and legal strategy

The Firm defends the interests of its clients:

In intellectual property matters (ambush marketing, trademark and intangible asset protection of sports actors),
In civil and criminal disputes relating to ticketing or organiser’s rights,
During administrative and legal proceedings involving federations, clubs or local authorities.

Sports law: our landmark cases

FAJGENBAUM has played a key role in a number of cases that have shaped sports law and strengthened the protection of event organisers:

The “Festina” case: FAJGENBAUM assisted the Tour de France company and its director as plaintiffs in their fight against doping.

Online sports betting: FAJGENBAUM obtained judicial recognition of the French Tennis Federation's rights as an organiser facing online sports betting operators, contributing to the adoption of Article L.333-1-1 of the French Sports Code.

Olympic signs: FAJGENBAUM has defended the Olympic Movement's trademarks and signs since 1988, obtaining favourable rulings that led to the strengthening of their protection by French law in 2018.

Ticketing protection: in 2023, during the Rugby World Cup in France, FAJGENBAUM represented the interests of the GIP France 2023 and obtained, for the first time, a decision ordering a worldwide ban on the resale of tickets for access to the competition by one of the main players in the secondary ticketing market. The ruling, issued under an accelerated procedure, represents a significant step forward in the protection of sports event organisers. The case is currently under appeal.

Ambush marketing: for over 40 years, FAJGENBAUM has been defending the organisers of sporting events and competitions against parasitic marketing practices. The Firm has played a key role in the legal recognition of ambush marketing in France, obtaining landmark decisions before the civil and criminal courts on the basis of article 1240 of the French Civil Code. These successes have helped to establish the legal framework protecting sporting events against commercial misappropriation. FAJGENBAUM is also the author of leading publications on the subject, including the papers “Marques sportives et droit” (LexisNexis, 2023) and the “Glossaire juridique des droits du stade” (Dalloz, 2024).

Sports law: a team of experts dedicated to the challenges of the sector

Fabienne FAJGENBAUM

Founding partner of FAJGENBAUM, Fabienne Fajgenbaum has been at the head of the Intellectual Property Law, Competition Law and Sports Law departments for over 40 years.

With her dual academic and practical expertise, she has been teaching for many years in Master’s degree courses in sports law at renowned institutions such as the Centre de Droit et d’Économie du Sport in Limoges and the law universities of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and Paris II Panthéon-Assas.

She is the author of numerous publications dedicated to sports legal news in various specialized magazines (JuriSport, Propriété Industrielle, Sports Law Review, Sponsoring.fr, etc.). She also co-edited the French part of the report Study on sports organisers’ rights in the European Union (ASSER Institute for the European Commission, 2014), the papers Marques sportives et droit (LexisNexis, 2023) and the Glossaire juridique des droits du stade (Dalloz, 2024).

Thibault LACHACINSKI

Thibault Lachacinski has been a member of the Paris Bar since 2006 and holds a certificate of specialization in intellectual property. He is a partner at FAJGENBAUM. He provides advisory and litigation services before French and European courts, with a particular focus on intellectual property law, competition law and sports law.

On a daily basis, Thibault Lachacinski assists sports federations, local authorities and companies in developing and defending their rights.

Co-author of the report Study on sports organisers’ rights in the European Union (ASSER Institute, 2014), of several publications for WIPO and of the booklets Motifs relatifs de refus – Noms de personnes morales de droit public (LexisNexis, 2022) and Marques et sport (LexisNexis, 2023), co-edited with Fabienne Fajgenbaum. He is a regular speaker at academic and professional training courses, notably at the École Nationale de la Magistrature, the CDES Limoges and Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (Master’s degree in Sports Law).