Die Einräumung von Fernsehübertragungsrechten an Sportveranstaltungen

René Lochmann examines the licensing of television broadcasting rights for sporting events. Although the German legal system does not recognize such rights, they are regularly traded and sold for enormous prices. After an evaluation of the current status, the author gives a general overview of how licenses can be granted. Following these conclusions he takes a new approach on the issue how the German legal system actually protects television broadcasting rights. In the author's view, such rights are based on a basic principle of the German unfair competition law that large investments deserve protection. This legal position allows not only the protection of television broadcasting rights but also the granting of licenses and the transferral of rights to third parties.