CROATIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Lovro Badžim, Badžim Law Practice
how brands may use names, images, and results, as well as where and how branding appears. The agree - ments also set out the obligations of the sports rights- holder, the duration of the relationship, termination conditions, exclusivity clauses, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Where sponsors have access to personal data, con - tracts must include clear data protection provisions. Overall, while Croatian sports law provides the gen - eral framework, sponsorship relationships are largely shaped by contract practice and must comply with both national and EU data protection rules. 2.3 Broadcasting Rights In Croatia, television broadcasters primarily profit from sports broadcasting rights through advertising and subscriptions. Advertising during live sports – com - mercials, sponsorships, and product placement – is a major revenue stream, but it is tightly regulated: hidden advertising is prohibited, certain products are restricted, and violations carry significant fines. Private broadcasters such as Arena Sport or MAXtv also rely heavily on pay-TV models, offering exclusive sports content within subscription packages and monetising it further through streaming and on-demand services. The public broadcaster HRT combines advertising revenue with the mandatory licence fee, while oper - ating under stricter legal limits on commercial activity and an obligation to make unused exclusive rights available to others. Sports rights-holders increase the value of broadcast - ing rights by packaging them strategically. Rights are usually sold in multi-year bundles and almost always on an exclusive basis, which gives broadcasters com - mercial certainty and justifies higher investment. Sales are conducted through international tenders, direct negotiations, or hybrid processes. A typical example is the sale of Croatian Football League (HNL) rights, which ultimately ended with Arena Sport as the exclu - sive broadcaster after several intermediary transac - tions. Broadcasting contracts also implicitly grant access to stadiums and arenas, allowing the rights-holder exclusive entry for filming and live transmission. At the same time, the law guarantees other broadcast -
ers limited access to events of major public interest for short news reports, provided they cover the actual costs. From an intellectual property perspective, broad - casters enjoy exclusive rights over their programme signals, including broadcasting, rebroadcasting, recording, and digital distribution. These rights are ter - ritorially fragmented, meaning online and cross-border uses must be cleared separately for each jurisdiction. Special rules apply to HRT through collective licens - ing arrangements. Finally, Croatian media law requires that events of major social importance – such as the Olympic Games or World Cup finals – remain avail - able on free-to-air television, ensuring public access regardless of pay-TV exclusivity. In Croatia, sports events are not subject to owner - ship rights in the strict, property law sense. There is no “ownership” of a sports event comparable to ownership of land or goods under the Constitution or property law. Instead, sports events are protected indirectly, mainly through intellectual property rights – such as broadcasting rights and trade marks – and through contractual arrangements. Event organisers (clubs, federations, associations, or companies) control how an event is accessed, record - ed, and commercially exploited by combining intel - lectual property rights with contracts. Broadcasting and recording rights are typically licensed to media partners, while unauthorised recording or distribution may constitute a legal infringement. Access to venues is governed by the organiser’s rules, stadium regula - tions, federation rules, and ticket terms. Organisers decide who may enter and under what conditions (spectators, journalists, camera crews), and are legally required to deny access to persons subject to stadium bans or security measures. 3. Sports Events 3.1 Proprietary Rights and Event Management Several areas of legislation apply alongside sports and IP law. Consumer protection rules govern ticket sales, advertising, and spectator services, including refunds
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