Published Online: Dec 29, 2012
Page range: 41 - 50
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10141-012-0024-1
Keywords
This content is open access.
Given the seriousness and negative consequences of the ambush marketing phenomenon, it was necessary to fight with great force and strength ambush marketing activities by developing effective prevention strategies. There might be two categories of strategies distinguished: reactive and proactive strategies (Burton & Chadwick, 2008). The most common proactive strategy is to pass normative acts regulating the issues of ambush marketing by the host-country of the sporting event.
The purpose of this paper is an analysis of Polish preparations to host the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship in the context of the legal response to unfair practices of ambush marketing.
The scope of existing legislation of general application provides sufficient protection for the obligations arising from the Polish international agreements. Issues relating to the protection of intellectual property rights are governed by acts dealing with combating unfair competition, copyright and industrial property law.
Poland has not introduced additional regulations protecting the rights of the organizers and official sponsors of major sporting events against fraudulent marketing activities. When analyzing the current legal status it can be concluded that Poland fulfilled the guarantees provided to UEFA. The government adopted the simplest solution: they accepted the facts and did not make any amendments to the existing legal system.