From: tgmur@tinet.ch (Thomas Gmuer)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport.f1
Subject: FIA stands trial (addition 2)
Followup-To: rec.autos.sport.rally
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 03:25:53 +0200
Organization: Friends of Carlotta
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Message-ID: <199705280325531807379@chiasso-ppp09.tinet.ch>
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The following is a press-release from AE TV Corporation GmbH as been
sent out to the agencies on May 27, 1997. If you missed the original
posts, i've been glad to forward them by e-mail on request.


Press release of May 27, 1997


Dear Sirs,

this is to inform you that AE TV Cooperation has lodged a formal

complaint against FIA and ISC with the European Commission
----------------------------------------------------------
(Directorate General for Competition)

on Tuesday May 27 1997. It is submitted that the central marketing of TV
rights to all international motor sport events throughout the EC is in
violation of European Competition-Law Articles 85 and 86 EC Treaty
(Prohibition of cartells and abuse of a dominant position)

Contrary to the proceedings before the German courts, this complaint is
not restricted to the marketing of the rights to the European Truck
Racing Cup.

Purpose of the complaint is to clarify, whether the centralized
marketing ba the FIA of all electronic media rights to all international
FIA championships and all events wich tkae place in more than one
country is in violation of european eompetition law contravenes, among
others, European cartel law.

The European Commission in Brussels is extremely interested in the
matter as a test case on whether or under what conditions TV rights to
major sporting events may be centrally marketed across the EU by a
sports association.
The Commission stated, on the 6th of February 1997, that it intended to
safeguard universal TV coverage of major sporting events through a
proposal for a directive.

On June 4th the district court in Frankfurt will render a first
judgement in an interim procedure as to whether the central marketing of
the TV-rights to the races of the Truck-European-Cup infringes European
competition law.

After the first races of the series GT-Worldchampionship, Truck European
Championship, Rallye German Championship and Rallye-Cross European
Championship took place in 1997, now it's possible to proof the media
losses caused by the beginning of the FIA quality of the TV-coverage of
the named series is reduced dramatically.

Should you need further informations you can contact us at any time.
Please keep us up-to-date with worldwide publications by sending
fax-copies.


Best regards

Wolfgang Eisele

AE TV Corporation GmbH
Hugo-Stotz-Str. 14
69123 Heidelberg /Germany
Phone: (+49) 6221 776033
Fax: (+49) 6221 776035