Lars Thiess

Advertising, brands, AI, public viewing: what is allowed? The 2026 FIFA World Cup offers companies plenty of opportunities for creative marketing campaigns, competitions, social media campaigns and public viewing events. At the same time, the legal boundaries are narrow: FIFA’s trademark rights, players’ personal rights, ambush marketing, AI-generated advertising and licensing issues relating to public viewing should be considered at an early stage. Our handout provides a concise overview of what is permitted in advertising in the context of the 2026 World Cup and where legal risks lie.

With its decision today, the Federal Court of Justice has confirmed Apple's cross-market significance for competition. The group, which is the most valuable company in the world with a market value of over 3 trillion US dollars, is now subject to increased supervision by the Federal Cartel Office.

Legal disputes in esports can be costly and time-consuming, especially when it comes to salaries, prize money, or transfers. Besides mediation, a traditional system involves entering into an arbitration agreement and conducting subsequent arbitration proceedings (often referred to as "Alternative Dispute Resolution" or "ADR"). Riot Games, one of the leading publishers in gaming and esports, has recently introduced an innovative arbitration system in the esports sphere for the EMEA region with its newly unveiled Dispute Resolution System (Riot DR). The aim is to provide quick, fair, and cost-efficient solutions to legal conflicts in the competitive leagues of League of Legends (LoL) and Valorant.

The early-year success of Palworld has long since waned. The hype surrounding the video game has subsided, and player numbers are far from setting new records. Just as the developer Pocketpair was about to launch the game on the PS5, a long-anticipated lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company arrived. Time to take a closer look at the legal dispute.

The CJEU ruled, in response to questions referred by the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH), that the Action Replay software for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) likely does not constitute copyright infringement. The case, initiated by Sony against the third-party provider Datel, centered on whether the modification of game elements, such as unlocking additional content, infringes Sony's protected copyrights. This ruling has far-reaching implications for the digital space and may impact the use of mods and similar tools in other software sectors as well.

How do AI-generated NPCs and deep fakes affect personal rights in video games? Discover the legal risks and the requirements of the AI Regulation - from naming rights to image and voting rights.

Even in times of the "eSports Winter," the gaming industry continues to grow steadily and has become one of the largest entertainment media in the world. Last year alone, the industry's revenue in Germany rose to nearly 10 billion euros. Innovative game concepts and unique game designs are crucial for the success of video games. The competition for media attention and players is fierce. It is not uncommon for basic concepts and game ideas of successful games to be adopted by competitors to offer similar games and benefit from the hype of the original game. It is therefore not surprising that legal proceedings in the industry are also increasing. The Cologne Regional Court recently dealt comprehensively with the copyright protection of game concepts and the limits of imitation.

The computer game Palworld from the Japanese developer studio Pocket Pair was released less than a month ago and has since been the subject of numerous accusations of plagiarism, particularly in social media. The accusation from users is that Palworld is a Pokémon clone that makes illegal use of the Pokémon Company's ideas and intellectual property.