From: tgmur@tinet.ch (Thomas Gmuer) Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport.f1 Subject: FIA stands trial IV (and lost!) Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 22:44:51 +0200 Organization: Friends of Carlotta Lines: 60 Message-ID: <1997061222445125106@chiasso-ppp12.tinet.ch> NNTP-Posting-Host: chiasso-ppp12.tinet.ch X-Newsreader: MacSOUP 2.2b3 The following is a press-release from AE TV Corporation GmbH as been sent out to the agencies on June 4, 1997. (Sorry, I am a little late with posting it) If you missed the other press relases already published here, you may find them on the following locations: http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/f1/fia_TV.001 http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/f1/fia_TV.002 http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/f1/fia_TV.003 Central Marketing of TV rights by FIA in violation of European Competition Law -------------------------------------------------------------- By judgement of June 4, 1997 in an interim proceeding, and upon application of AE TV cooperation GmbH, the district court in Frankfurt ruled that the central marketing of the TV rights to the races of the FIA European Truck Racing Cup is in violation of European Competition Law. The Court has made it clear that the prohibition of the central marketing by FIA applies to the whole of the EC. Therefore, these races will again - at least until a judgement in the main proceeding (complaint of AE TV against FIA of February 26, 1997) - be marketed individually by the respective organizers who assume all financial risks resulting from the staging of the respective event. This judgment is not only a victory for the organizers wich have been "expropriated" by FIA but also for the broadcasters who are no longer forced to purchase EC-wide all international motorsport programes exclusively from a single supplier (the company of Mr. Ecclestone ISC wich has been entrusted by FIA with the central marketing) at conditions dictated by this monopolist. Even tough the judgment explicitly only rules on a single FIA-series (European Truck Racing Cup) it has implications also for all other series wich are being marketed by FIA on a central basis. In the reasoning of its judgment the district court in Frankfurt argues that the FIA-resolutions of October 20, 1995 and June 11, 1996, whereby the central marketing of all motorsport events wich take place in more than one country has been introduced, is in violation of of Article 85 EC-Treaty (prohibition of resolutions wich are restrictive of competition). These FIA-resolutions do not apply only to the European Truck Racing Cup, but also to around 21 other FIA series. The question whether the central marketing of all international motorsport events in the EC by FIA infringes EC competition law is also subject of a formal complaint wich has been lodged by AE TV against FIA and ISC with the European Commission in Brussels (file no. IV / 36520) on May 27, 1997. Best regards Wolfgang Eisele AE TV Corporation GmbH Hugo-Stotz-Str. 14 69123 Heidelberg /Germany Phone: (+49) 6221 776033 Fax: (+49) 6221 776035