US Risks Not Getting FIFA World Cup... Because It Won't Give FIFA Special Copyright Powers

from the don't-cave-in dept

The US is bidding on hosting the 2022 World Cup, and the decision will be made in a few weeks. Soccer's governing body, FIFA, recently released its technical reports on all of the various bids, detailing things like the number of stadia available and what would need to be built should a country win, the availability of training grounds, hotel rooms, transportation and so on. The US scores very favorably on all of these accounts, but the bid has been labeled "medium risk" because
"the necessary government support has not been documented as neither the Government Guarantees, the Government Declaration nor the Government Legal Statement have been provided in compliance with FIFA's requirements for government documents."
Guess what that means? The US bid committee hasn't secured a commitment from the US government that it will give FIFA the right to act as its own copyright cops and takeover the legal system so it can do things like criminalize wearing orange clothes. As the full FIFA report (PDF) puts it: "However, as the required guarantees, undertakings and confirmations are not given as part of Government Guarantee No. 6 (Protection and Exploitation of Commercial Rights) and mere reference is made to existing general intellectual property laws in the USA, FIFA's rights protection programme cannot be ensured."

It's clear that FIFA expects carte blanche to set up its own special legal protection in any country that hosts the event; it gives the bid from Belgium and the Netherlands a black mark because it "contains no guarantees, undertakings or confirmations with legal effect beyond existing laws". It also slates a number of countries for having "existing regulations... which adversely affect the free and unrestricted exploitation of media rights". The report indicates that just three bids fully meet FIFA's desire to have the ability to enact its own copyright and media laws: the human-rights hotbeds of Qatar and Russia, and the joint bid from Spain and Portugal.
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Filed Under: copyright, fifa, us, world cup


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  • icon
    Ima Fish (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 10:49am

    it "contains no guarantees, undertakings or confirmations with legal effect beyond existing laws"

    Wow. Your laws are not good enough, we want our own laws now!

    I'm glad the government isn't bending over on this. Unforgettably they do bend over for the Olympics Committee.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      :Lobo Santo (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 10:56am

      Re:

      Of course our government isn't bending over for this! Obviously they are not offering nearly enough bribe money.

      ; P

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Designerfx (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:01am

        Re: Re:

        please. our government hasn't had the chance to bend over for it yet.

        it's not that they haven't, they just need to draft some new laws

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Dark Helmet (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:18am

          Re: Re: Re:

          Agreed. It's only going this slowly because it's soccer (futbol). Imagine if this was some international version of the Super Bowl....

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Steven (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 10:56am

    Wow

    ' which adversely affect the free and unrestricted exploitation of media rights'

    Wow. I guess that says it all right there. I hate it when something restricts my free and unrestricted exploitation of something.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    John Doe, 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:00am

    With the right contributions

    With the right political contributions, they will get what they are asking for. Of course the RIAA and MPAA will be watching this closely to see if they can do the same.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:01am

    Wow, that Russia is one of the very few with a legal system favorable to FIFA is very telling.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Bas Grasmayer (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:06am

    Down with the FIFA! ^_^

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    out_of_the_blue, 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:09am

    Intersection of sports, advertising, money, monopoly, and gov't.

    I predict it happens. US has too many rich suckers to pass up.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    weneedhelp (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:13am

    OHHHHHH NOOOOOO, NOOOO Soccer, er football

    My heart is crushed. What will I ever do to satisfy the soccer, er, ah, football jones? LOL who cares?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      rec9140, 19 Nov 2010 @ 6:16pm

      Re: OHHHHHH NOOOOOO, NOOOO Soccer, er football

      Exactly NO ONE in the US cares one bit about soccer. Why would any group even waste their time on bidding for this!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:24am

    Russia can make these commitments because they have absolutely no intention of actually making good on the promises.

    The U.S., on the other hand, lost interest when they realized futbol wasn't football. The U.S. bid is medium risk? It should be 'extremely high risk' because so few Americans give a damn about the sport.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    vastrightwing, 19 Nov 2010 @ 11:29am

    Shrugs shoulders

    ehhh.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2010 @ 12:14pm

    CALM DOWN EVERYONE

    Don't worry. I'm sure our government will capitulate and give FIFA everything they want.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Chris in Utah (profile), 19 Nov 2010 @ 12:48pm

    "criminalize wearing orange clothes"

    Least they'll be prepared.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Wolfy, 19 Nov 2010 @ 2:05pm

    I recall when the word "exploit" had less than nice connotations.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mr Big Content, 19 Nov 2010 @ 2:21pm

    This Is Serious

    If lawmakers don’t take this seriously, the US could lose the World Series too.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Silvo, 19 Nov 2010 @ 2:47pm

    Don't use the s word, please :)

    Mike, I hope you know that every time you use the s word instead of 'football' an actual English person is dying...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2010 @ 4:17pm

    Guess what that means?

    Unable to answer in the absence of copies of the "Government Guarantees, the Government Declaration nor the Government Legal Statement".

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2010 @ 8:02pm

    Wouldn't it be nice if elected officials had respect for the legal system they maintain? If they wanted their laws to make the world a better place and improve everyone's quality of life?
    Instead, laws are just something to exploit for a quick buck.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2010 @ 11:25am

    Russia can have it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bunk, 22 Nov 2010 @ 2:36am

    Portugal and Spain

    I can't imagine why they assume Portugal is a "copyright friendly" country... i work in the industry here and 99% of the population couldn't care less about intellectual property (and rightly so)... they don't know what they're getting themselves into eh eh

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ser, 2 Dec 2010 @ 8:10am

    Just as you predicted..

    Qatar and Russia are hosting the world cup for the next x years.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gamer's Dignity, 11 Jun 2018 @ 9:16pm

    Download Fifa 19 For PC

    Use this website to download various upcoming games and even to learn more about games.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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