PORTUGAL Law and Practice Contributed by: Miguel Santos Almeida, Maria Novo Baptista and João Saúde, Sérvulo & Associados
Sports organisations also issue NFTs linked to specific match events, such as goals or rare plays, and brands deploy NFT-based campaigns aimed at strengthen - ing fan loyalty and engagement around teams and competitions. The main opportunities associated with NFTs lie in: • the creation of new revenue streams from pre- existing audiovisual and branding assets; • the ability to embed automatic royalty mechanisms through smart contracts for secondary market transactions; • enhanced security and authenticity through block - chain technology; and • the global exploitation of sports content beyond traditional broadcast windows. However, several risks persist. There remains legal uncertainty regarding the precise legal nature of NFTs, alongside potential conflicts over player image rights and the allocation of remuneration between collective and individual uses. 10.2 AI In Portugal, there is no sport-specific AI legislation; instead, the key regulatory framework is the EU Arti - ficial Intelligence Act (the “AI Act”), which applies directly and is complemented by existing Portuguese laws on data protection, labour, consumer protection and IP. In practice, sports organisations in Portugal are adopt - ing AI primarily in functional and operational contexts. A clear example is the use of automated and AI-assist - ed video capture and performance analysis across competitions and national teams, notably through the partnership between the Portuguese Football Federa - tion and Pixellot, which has been deployed across multiple venues and competitions. At club level, AI is also being used for fan engage - ment and commercial purposes; for example, Benfica football club has introduced an immersive online store incorporating an AI assistant to support users within a three-dimensional retail environment.
More broadly, and particularly from a sponsorship per - spective, AI tools are increasingly used for audience segmentation, campaign performance measurement, content optimisation, sentiment analysis and spon - sor-alignment analytics, enabling clubs and leagues to convert match and digital engagement data into more precisely targeted and monetisable commercial offerings. These developments create clear opportunities, including enhanced performance analysis workflows, scalable content generation, more sophisticated tick - eting and customer-relationship management sys - tems, and sponsorship packages that can be priced and evaluated with greater evidential certainty through improved measurement of reach, engagement and conversion. The main challenges arise at the legal and governance level. Data protection is a central concern, as the use of wearables, extensive video capture, biometric-type data and fan profiling can quickly become intrusive if not grounded in a valid legal basis and supported by robust minimisation, retention and transparency measures. Other risks relate to regulatory classification under the EU AI Act, as certain sports-related uses – such as biometric identification for stadium security or AI systems influencing recruitment or scouting decisions – may fall within regulated or high-risk categories, triggering additional compliance, documentation and oversight obligations. Further issues arise in relation to IP and brand protec - tion, particularly where generative AI is used to cre - ate content or simulate player likenesses, potentially giving rise to ownership disputes, personality rights claims or conflicts with existing sponsorship arrange - ments. 10.3 The Metaverse In Portugal, the metaverse established itself primarily through practical applications in sectors such as bank - ing and finance. Notable initiatives include A Caixa no Metaverso , which was recognised for its user-experi - ence-focused approach, and the integration of immer - sive environments at major technology events such as
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