Edited by Leonid Shmatenko, 5Gambit Disputes, Zurich, Switzerland, Oleksandr Volkov, Asters, Kyiv, Ukraine and Rodolphe Ruffié-Farrugia, K&L Gates LLP, Australia

'In an era where digital entertainment is reshaping multiple industries, Esports stands firmly at the forefront of this revolution. With its meteoric rise to a multi-billion-dollar sector, the legal complexities surrounding Esports have never been more critical. It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse Esports Law and Practice, a timely and indispensable resource that expertly addresses the unique challenges of this dynamic and rapidly evolving sector.

• ContentsPreface xxiiiIn Memoriam: Andrea Rizzi xxvPART I ESPORTS, LEX SPORTIVA, AND THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT1 Essentials of esports law and practice 2Leonid Shmatenko and Oleksandr Volkov2 Esports and the Olympic Movement 9Oleksandr Volkov, Veronika Hodlevska and Valeriia Yakimova3 Esports – lex sportiva or lex mercatoria? 27Ashot KyureghyanPART II ESPORTS UNDER THE PRISM OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY4 The organization of esports tournaments: An overview 45Andrea Rizzi and Gaetano Dimita5 The role of copyright and EULAs in the esports ecosystem 82Despoina Farmaki6 Intellectual property rights within esports: The future of NFTS and the metaverse 97Dwayne Bach and Bo Huyn (Jenny) KimPART III ESPORTS IN THE CONTEXT OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS7 Valuing esports organisations 122Ekaterina Lohwasser and Francesco Di Ianni8 Esports M&A – transaction documents 147Karsten Faulhaber, Benedikt Midgal and Damien Simonot9 Esports and antitrust law 171Soojin Nam, Viktoria H.S.E. Robertson and Fabian Ziermann10 International tax implications in esports 199Masha Stolbova and Stanislau LashkevichPART IV GOVERNANCE IN THE ESPORTS REALM11 Loot boxes, esports, and gambling laws 218Darius Gambino12 Match-fixing/betting fraud in esports 242Bernhard Campara-Kopeinig and Daniel Diller13 Doping and other illicit performance-enhancing practices in esports 289Nick Williams14 Esports employment contracts 314Alex PolishukPART V ESPORTS AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION15 Dispute resolution in esports 329Anton Sotir16 Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for intellectual property and commercial disputes inthe esports industry 372Leandro Toscano, Oscar Suárez Bohórquez and Alexia Gkoritsa17 Esports regulations and the potential for investor-state arbitration 395Leonid Shmatenko and Anastasiia DulskaBibliography 426

Edited by Leonid Shmatenko, 5Gambit Disputes, Zurich, Switzerland, Oleksandr Volkov, Asters, Kyiv, Ukraine and Rodolphe Ruffié-Farrugia, K&L Gates LLP, Australia

'In an era where digital entertainment is reshaping multiple industries, Esports stands firmly at the forefront of this revolution. With its meteoric rise to a multi-billion-dollar sector, the legal complexities surrounding Esports have never been more critical. It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse Esports Law and Practice, a timely and indispensable resource that expertly addresses the unique challenges of this dynamic and rapidly evolving sector.

• ContentsPreface xxiiiIn Memoriam: Andrea Rizzi xxvPART I ESPORTS, LEX SPORTIVA, AND THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT1 Essentials of esports law and practice 2Leonid Shmatenko and Oleksandr Volkov2 Esports and the Olympic Movement 9Oleksandr Volkov, Veronika Hodlevska and Valeriia Yakimova3 Esports – lex sportiva or lex mercatoria? 27Ashot KyureghyanPART II ESPORTS UNDER THE PRISM OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY4 The organization of esports tournaments: An overview 45Andrea Rizzi and Gaetano Dimita5 The role of copyright and EULAs in the esports ecosystem 82Despoina Farmaki6 Intellectual property rights within esports: The future of NFTS and the metaverse 97Dwayne Bach and Bo Huyn (Jenny) KimPART III ESPORTS IN THE CONTEXT OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS7 Valuing esports organisations 122Ekaterina Lohwasser and Francesco Di Ianni8 Esports M&A – transaction documents 147Karsten Faulhaber, Benedikt Midgal and Damien Simonot9 Esports and antitrust law 171Soojin Nam, Viktoria H.S.E. Robertson and Fabian Ziermann10 International tax implications in esports 199Masha Stolbova and Stanislau LashkevichPART IV GOVERNANCE IN THE ESPORTS REALM11 Loot boxes, esports, and gambling laws 218Darius Gambino12 Match-fixing/betting fraud in esports 242Bernhard Campara-Kopeinig and Daniel Diller13 Doping and other illicit performance-enhancing practices in esports 289Nick Williams14 Esports employment contracts 314Alex PolishukPART V ESPORTS AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION15 Dispute resolution in esports 329Anton Sotir16 Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for intellectual property and commercial disputes inthe esports industry 372Leandro Toscano, Oscar Suárez Bohórquez and Alexia Gkoritsa17 Esports regulations and the potential for investor-state arbitration 395Leonid Shmatenko and Anastasiia DulskaBibliography 426

Edited by Leonid Shmatenko, 5Gambit Disputes, Zurich, Switzerland, Oleksandr Volkov, Asters, Kyiv, Ukraine and Rodolphe Ruffié-Farrugia, K&L Gates LLP, Australia

'In an era where digital entertainment is reshaping multiple industries, Esports stands firmly at the forefront of this revolution. With its meteoric rise to a multi-billion-dollar sector, the legal complexities surrounding Esports have never been more critical. It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse Esports Law and Practice, a timely and indispensable resource that expertly addresses the unique challenges of this dynamic and rapidly evolving sector.

• ContentsPreface xxiiiIn Memoriam: Andrea Rizzi xxvPART I ESPORTS, LEX SPORTIVA, AND THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT1 Essentials of esports law and practice 2Leonid Shmatenko and Oleksandr Volkov2 Esports and the Olympic Movement 9Oleksandr Volkov, Veronika Hodlevska and Valeriia Yakimova3 Esports – lex sportiva or lex mercatoria? 27Ashot KyureghyanPART II ESPORTS UNDER THE PRISM OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY4 The organization of esports tournaments: An overview 45Andrea Rizzi and Gaetano Dimita5 The role of copyright and EULAs in the esports ecosystem 82Despoina Farmaki6 Intellectual property rights within esports: The future of NFTS and the metaverse 97Dwayne Bach and Bo Huyn (Jenny) KimPART III ESPORTS IN THE CONTEXT OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS7 Valuing esports organisations 122Ekaterina Lohwasser and Francesco Di Ianni8 Esports M&A – transaction documents 147Karsten Faulhaber, Benedikt Midgal and Damien Simonot9 Esports and antitrust law 171Soojin Nam, Viktoria H.S.E. Robertson and Fabian Ziermann10 International tax implications in esports 199Masha Stolbova and Stanislau LashkevichPART IV GOVERNANCE IN THE ESPORTS REALM11 Loot boxes, esports, and gambling laws 218Darius Gambino12 Match-fixing/betting fraud in esports 242Bernhard Campara-Kopeinig and Daniel Diller13 Doping and other illicit performance-enhancing practices in esports 289Nick Williams14 Esports employment contracts 314Alex PolishukPART V ESPORTS AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION15 Dispute resolution in esports 329Anton Sotir16 Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for intellectual property and commercial disputes inthe esports industry 372Leandro Toscano, Oscar Suárez Bohórquez and Alexia Gkoritsa17 Esports regulations and the potential for investor-state arbitration 395Leonid Shmatenko and Anastasiia DulskaBibliography 426