- Organisation and Compliance: We draft statutes and regulations for sports associations and federations and we represent them in disputes on organisational and compliance issues. We provide comprehensive legal advice to sports organisations in support of their daily business (e.g., labour law and social security, intellectual property, rental of office space, procurement, contracts, and organisational issues). This also includes representation before tribunals. We assist foreign sports organisations to establish their headquarters or a branch in Switzerland.
- Disciplinary matters: We advise and represent sports organisations (federations, teams, clubs and anti-doping organisations) in disciplinary matters. In particular, we have broad experience in doping matters and can rely on a wide network of scientific experts. We advise and represent domestic and foreign sports organisations, individual athletes, teams, event organisers and marketing agencies before state courts and arbitration tribunals, in particular the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS).
- Investigation: We execute investigation mandates for sports organisations (e.g., disciplinary, organisational or legal compliance matters) and provide legal opinions on sports law issues.
- Arbitration: We act as arbitrators in arbitration commissions of federations, ad hoc arbitration panels and commissions and standing arbitration tribunals, e.g. CAS, Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) and German Sports Arbitral Tribunal
- Marketing and Sponsoring: We develop sustainable marketing and sponsorship concepts and draft specific agreements for sports organisations, teams, events and individual athletes.
- Ambush Marketing: We look after the protection of trademarks, logos, naming rights of sports events and organisations and of the image and naming rights of individual athletes, and provide effective defence strategies against ambush marketing attacks.
- Media Rights: We assist federations, agencies, event organisers and broadcasters in drafting and negotiating national and international broadcast and redistribution agreements.
- Player Contracts: We advise and represent clubs, teams, players’ agents and professional athletes with regard to contract negotiations, transfers and breaches of player contracts.
- Media and Publishing: Our practice covers all types of publishing (incl. multimedia) – online and offline – of texts, photographs, films and music in any media.
- Music, Film and Theatre: We advise producers, musicians, actors, authors, screenwriters, directors and other artists, inter alia in contract and copyright questions.
- Arts and Cultural Property: If you would like to use copies or pictures of pieces of art or cultural property we help you to obtain the relevant rights. If others make use of your copyrights without your permission, we will assist you in enforcing your rights.
- Cultural Events: The organisation and management of cultural events often requires the drafting and negotiation of complex agreements with artists, agents, locations, cities etc. Our attorneys have the skills necessary to successfully assist you in organizing such events from a legal perspective.
- Collective Rights Management and Tariff Negotiations: Certain copyrights are managed by collective rights organisations such as in Switzerland SUISA, ProLitteris, SWISSPERFORM, SUISSIMAGE and SSA. We have the necessary know-how and experience to guide you through the various paths of copyright exploitation and the relevant tariffs. We also have experience in representing organisations in tariff negotiations.
- Litigation and Arbitration: TIMES Attorneys can help you enforcing your rights or defending against unjustified claims.
- Trademarks and Names: TIMES Attorneys provides the entire range of trademark services, from the filing of national and international trademarks, availability and monitoring services to the management and prosecution of large trademark portfolios, to litigation of trademark and domain names disputes. Our vast experience and use of state of the art software tools enable us to offer our services at highest quality, efficiently and at fair prices.
- Patents and Designs: TIMES Attorneys has significant expertise in representing clients in patent infringement and revocation proceedings before the Swiss Federal Patent Court. In cooperation with our preferred patent attorney firms we can also assist you through the lifecycle of European patents, SPCs, PCT-applications and Swiss patents. We also provide the full range of design services, including the filing of designs and the representation in design disputes.
- Copyright: We advise on all copyright issues, be it software or (applied) arts-related copyrights. Services and expertise in this field also encompass collective rights management including advising organisations in tariff negotiations.
- Unfair Competition: We advise and represent clients in unfair competition law matters. Relevant unfair practices include passing-off, unfair taking advantage of works of others and unfair terms and conditions.
- Know-how and Trade Secrets: We assist you in protecting your ideas, business methods and other intangible assets that are neither patented nor protected by copyrights.
- Licensing and Distribution: Our attorneys are experienced in the drafting, reviewing, negotiation and interpretation of intellectual property-related agreements such as license and distribution agreements, research and development, IP assignments, IP pledges and cooperation agreements. We also represent clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings arising from such agreements. .
- IP related Transactions: Our lawyers are experienced in assisting in M&A transaction from an intellectual property perspective (e.g. IP due diligence and drafting of IP parts of transaction documents).
- Geographical Indications: We have expertise in all matters related to “Swissness” and geographical indications. TIMES Attorneys covers the different administrative steps aimed at the granting of such an indication, starting from defining and gathering the relevant stakeholders, the drafting of the application and guidelines together with the stakeholders, the negotiations with the Swiss Commission to the publication of the decision and potential appeal.
- Advertising: We review your or your competitors’ advertisings and promotions activities in view of their compliance with unfair competition law, with the rules of the Swiss Commission of Fair Trading, with industry specific laws and best practices, with the Swiss lottery and money gaming legislation and with price indication rules.
- Wine & Spirit Law: We guide our clients through the complex array of laws and regulations applicable to the production, distribution, sale, advertising and marketing of alcohol beverages, including in so far as IP related issues and geographical indications are concerned.
- Litigation and Arbitration: We represent our clients in intellectual property and unfair competition disputes before the cantonal courts across the country, Swiss Federal Patent Court and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. We also act as counsel and serve as arbitrators in IP-related arbitration proceedings (e.g. under Swiss Rules of International Arbitration, ICC rules or WIPO rules).