SPORT IS BIG business. This year corporate sponsors will pay millions of dollars to have their brands associated with the World Cup in Japan and Korea in the hope of boosting their profile and increasing their market share.
But someone has to guard over an industry that promises fortunes and is prone to corruption. The protection of rights and the negotiations and legalities involved in these mega-deals are managed by firms that practise sports law.
Bina Cunningham is a sports lawyer specialising in the management of intellectual property (IP).
'IP is the protection of assets that you can't touch - the way something looks or the way you dress it up,' says Ms Cunningham.
'A good example might be a soft drink that has a similar sounding name or presentation to a more famous brand.'
Ms Cunningham, whose mother is a magistrate, acknowledges that Asia is a black spot for counterfeiting and abuse of image rights. She says the challenge of working in the region was why she returned to Hong Kong, where she grew up.
