PHILIPPINES Law and Practice Contributed by: Ignatius Michael D Ingles and Daphne Marie M Gomez, Law Firm of Ingles Laurel Calderon
these rights with the option to stream through You - Tube or other online streaming services. For leagues with multiple sports, such as the popu - lar University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the media company also decides which sports to air. The media company must also promote the games they air. One way in which sports organisations attract broad - caster investment is through the marketing of rivalry games. For example, demand for tickets for rivalry games in the UAAP is higher than for other games, even if the game is not a play-off or final four match. Likewise, viewership on TV is also higher when the game is between rivals Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. This is the same for Philip - pine Basketball Association games where the rivalry between Magnolia and Ginebra, known as Manila Classico, generates a higher viewership than other regular games. Lastly, sports associations may also allow the filming of athletes off the court for certain promotional videos, such as clips of them saying “only here on [insert media company name]” or through clips of them answering short personal questions for the entertain - ment of fans, to be aired during commercial breaks. According to the Intellectual Property Code, broad - casts are protected by copyright law for a period of 20 years from the date the broadcast. Rights of broad - casting organisations can be found in Chapter XIV of the Code.
(such as the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup) or the sports governing body for that specific sport. However, it is important to note that being granted hosting rights does not necessarily mean that the Phil - ippine-based entity, whether a local organising com - mittee or NSA, will be the proprietary rights holder. For example, in 2025, the Philippines was awarded hosting rights for the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup but FIFA remained the proprietary rights-holder. FIFA still had exclusive control over commercial matters such as merchandising and ticketing, broadcasting, intellectual property, and sponsorships, but heads of these departments at FIFA were assisted by a local counterpart within the local organising committee who was more familiar with the Philippine market and had on-the-ground capabilities. Under such a system, the local organising committee handles the on-the- ground work but must consult FIFA, which, as the rights-holder, has the final say. As rights-holders, these sports organisers have pro - prietary rights in sports events under both copyright and trade mark provisions of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Sports organisers control these rights through the enforcement of contracts and with the help of local law enforcement. Organisers also co-ordinate with social media platforms to imme - diately remove illegal live streaming of sports events. Commercial participation in such events is typically governed by sponsorship, licensing, and broadcasting contracts. Consequently, the Civil Code of the Philip - pines also serves as supplemental legislation due to the chain of contracts which generally characterise sports events. 3.2 Duty of Care and Liability The duty of care in sport is governed by provisions of the Philippine Civil Code, particularly Article 2176 which obligates one who causes damage to another, either by fault or negligence, to compensate for the damage done, and Article 1173 which sets the general duty of care as the diligence of a good father. Sports event organisers fall under this general standard of care. When minors are involved, the standard is strict - er, as seen in a Supreme Court case wherein a sports organiser was held liable for the death of a teenage mini-marathon runner. Clear and unequivocal waivers
3. Sports Events 3.1 Proprietary Rights and Event Management
Sports events are typically organised and managed by a professional league (such as the Philippine Bas - ketball Association) or a college or university athletic association (such as the University Athletics Associa - tion of the Philippines). For international events in the Philippines, these are normally organised by a local organising committee set up for that particular event
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