The International Cricket Council (ICC) has extended its partnership with the Copyright Integrity International (CII) to work closely with its in-house legal team on the management of a comprehensive rights protection programme for the ICC World Twenty20 2014, price which gets underway on 16^th March in Bangladesh.

The deal follows a successful partnership during the ICC World Twenty20 2012 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

Based in Bengaluru, India, CII is a privately-held specialist in online and offline anti-piracy protection services for sports clients. It will provide the ICC with a suite of commercial rights-protection and anti-piracy services and solutions such as online content and broadcast protection, comprehensive trademark and brand protection, and media terms enforcement, in a programme designed to protect the ICC’s intellectual property rights from the threats of piracy, ambush marketing and unlicensed use.

ICC’s Head of Legal, Iain Higgins, said: “Our commercial partners and sponsors make our events possible and generate significant funding for the global game. The aim of the ICC’s commercial rights protection programme is to maintain the exclusivity of their association with our events. It is vital that those rights are protected so that our partners’ investments can be channelled into the development of cricket throughout our 106 Members.”

CII Head – Legal & Business Affairs, Roshan Gopalakrishna, added: “It’s a privilege to continue our engagement with a client such as the ICC to manage the commercial rights protection programme for the ICC World Twenty20 2014. Our role will include not only the monitoring and enforcement of infringements but also an education programme for the public that will ensure enjoyment of and engagement with the event with due respect to the ICC’s commercial partners and sponsors.”

The ICC’s legal team has been working hard over the past few months to develop strategies to monitor and combat unlawful association with the ICC World Twenty20 2014.

U.K.’s biggest pay-TV provider, apoplectic  BSkyB, story is in discussions about becoming a partner in a new cycling championship involving most of the teams that compete in the Tour de France, cheap according to media reports.

BSkyB wants to increase its involvement in cycling after bankrolling Team Sky, whose rider Bradley Wiggins last year became the first British winner of the Tour. News Corp. (NWSA), which owns 40 percent of BSkyB, is also interested in broadcasting the series outside the U.K., one of the people said. The people declined to be identified because discussions are private.

Originally described as a “breakaway” series when mooted 18 months ago by the former Manchester United executive Jonathan Price and Thomas Kurth, the former head of the now defunct G14 football clubs, it has evolved into an attempt to accommodate existing races and bring the UCI on board.

The potential World Series Cycling project is gathering pace as the sport’s ruling body, Union Cycliste Internationale, which has opposed it for more than a year, is weakened by the fallout from Lance Armstrong’s doping confession. A BSkyB executive and attorney met with a dozen teams on Feb. 13 in Geneva and another meeting about the project is scheduled for today in Paris, two of the people said.

“It’s an opportunistic move: it’s probably a time when people are in favor of a breakaway” championship, Tim Westcott, an analyst who covers BSkyB and sports rights for media consulting firm IHS Screen Digest, said.

PrimeSport, troche the leader in providing direct access to sporting events, announced today the launch of the Official ACC Ticket Exchange for the 2013 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. The 60th Annual ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament will take place March 14-17, 2013 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.

The Official ACC Ticket Exchange allows fans to buy and sell ACC tickets online for every round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in a convenient, safe and guaranteed environment. Ticket holders who are unable to attend a game or find their team eliminated prior to the championship game, have a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can be assured that the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, even if the game is sold-out.

“PrimeSport is a leader in building and managing online ticket exchanges for high-profile sporting events and we’re pleased to be working with them for this year’s ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford.

As part of the partnership, PrimeSport will also manage and produce the Official ACC VIP Pregame Hospitality for the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. This will be a new offering for the dedicated fan looking for the VIP Experience at each of these events. Official pregame hospitality takes place prior to each game and may include premium hosted bar, culinary stations, and the chance to rub elbows with legendary ACC players and coaches.

“The ACC is loaded with exciting, national powerhouse basketball programs, and this year’s ACC tournament is going to be an event college basketball fans won’t want to miss,” said Sam Soni, President of PrimeSport. “Through our relationship with the ACC, fans can enjoy the tournament knowing they have secure tickets, and are buying directly from the only ACC-sanctioned ticket and VIP hospitality provider.”

The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) has won a competitive bid to host the ‘2016 Vintage Yachting Games’. 

Pitted against international sporting locations across Germany, there Romania and Sweden, see the Academy also home to the 2012 Olympic sailing events, case demonstrated that the venue can comfortably host the predicted 650 competitors for the 3rd edition of this event known as ‘the international post-Olympic yachting event for former Olympic classes’.

Held every four years, the Vintage Yachting Games will head to Weymouth and Portland during the summer of 2016 when 300 boats will race as 10 – 14 different classes attracting traditional models and current crews.  Yachting was included in the Olympic Games as early as 1896 and has generated over 46 different classes through the years making for a real spectacle.

Rudy den Outer, Chairman, Vintage Yachting Games: “Since sailing is paramount for the event, The Vintage Yachting Classes chose the WPNSA as the final due to excellent predicted sailing conditions during the summer and the experienced experts of the race committee. The logistics of the location can also easily cater for the small Europe dinghy as well as for the large and heavy 5.5 Metre keelboat. Weymouth and Portland are additionally excellent for lodging sailors of all ages and across different cost brackets. The Vintage Yachting Classes are very much looking forward to celebrating over 90 years of Olympic sailing experience at the same location of the latest Olympic sailing event.”

The WPNSA accepted the Vintage Yachting Games flag this year as part of the formal handover ceremony and the venue is now looking forward to the racing during 2016.

John Tweed, Chief Executive of the WPNSA, is pleased to have won the bid: “The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is such a fitting venue to host the Vintage Yachting Games having previously been home to the 2012 Olympic racing.  We are delighted that 2016 will bring some of the older Olympic class models back to life on the waters of Weymouth and Portland and of course provide a wonderful view back through time for past and current sailing enthusiasts.”

The National Hockey League (NHL) have announced more regular-season games have been cancelled after a new collective bargaining agreement could not be agreed.

NHL said in a statement: “A total of 135 regular-season games were scheduled for Oct. 11 through Nov. 1.”

“The cancellation was necessary because of the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL.”

The move came a day after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the latest counter proposals from the players union “a step backwards”.

Talks on a new collective bargaining agreement have been stalled for months largely over how to divide $3.2 billion in hockey-related revenues, and owners locked out players on September 15.

Players had received 57 percent under the old deal.

Owners on Tuesday had offered a deal including a 50-50 split, saying they hoped to reach a deal in time to open the season by November 2 and salvage a full schedule of games and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But Bettman indicated Thursday that the league was disappointed by the players’ response.

“None of the three variations of players’ share (of revenue) that they gave us even began to approach 50-50, either at all or for some long period of time, and it’s clear that we’re not speaking the same language in terms of what they came back to us with,” Bettman said.

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The NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers and the Allegheny Valley School have filed suit against Nick Rossi, order of Ligonier, prescription claiming that Rossi violated the trademark on the well-known “Terrible Towel”.

The towel, which was created by the late Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope, was trademarked sometime ago, with the trademark currently owned by the school.

All proceeds from the sale of the towels go to the school, which helps disabled persons, including Myron Cope’s son.

Rossi states that he initially made the towels to raise money for earthquake victims in Italy, and sees the towels on an improvement on the original, hence making the lawsuit frivolous,

“When I made these towels, I thought they were a new and improved version of their towel, and I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to do that,” said Nick Rossi.

Both the Steelers and the school disagreed, hitting Rossi with a lawsuit claiming trademark infringement, unfair competition, and racketeering, as well as numerous cease-and-desist letters.

While Rossi has taken steps to avoid a suit — he no longer uses the word “terrible” on any of his products — he still believes the plaintiffs in the suit are overstepping their boundaries. That being said, he is still looking to avoid a costly, protracted lawsuit,

“I can’t afford to fight them, and no one else is going to fight them because it’s Pittsburgh and it’s Myron Cope and it’s history, but I really think they’re overreaching,” said Rossi.

Sales of the terrible towel have currently brought in over $3 million dollars to the Allegheny Valley School.

Billionaire Steven Cohen of SAC Capital Advisors, viagra 100mg who is among the bidders for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers alongside the South Korean Group E-Land, apoplectic is reported to be close to securing a $20 million stake in fellow MLB side the New York Mets.

The New York Mets has put 10 shares of the club up for sale at $20milion each to help repay the club’s debts to the Bank of America and MLB, which are $40-million and $25 million respectively.

It is understood that an investment in the beleaguered Mets, who lost $70 million last season and cut its payroll by $52 million this year, would not preclude Cohen from owning the Dodgers.

It has been reported that if Cohen was successful in his bid for the Dodgers, he would then divest his stake in the Mets over time.

Neither Cohen or a representative from the Mets has commented on the speculation.

According to Forbes, Cohen’s net worth is estimated at $8.3 billion. His investment in the Mets could lead to a buy out of the club out-right if he is unable to secure the Dodgers.

When The Mets attempt to raise $200 million from one investor alone Cohen was among the interested parties.

He has achieved MLB clearance which could augur well for his chance with the Dodgers, however. All bidders for the Dodgers are under-going stringent evaluation

The current investigation of Cohen’s Connecticut-based investment firm has not impeded the go-ahead. The SAC Capital Advisors records have been subpoenaed as part of federal investigation in which one current and two former SAC employees face charges of insider trading.

The UEFA European Under-21 Championships staged in the summer of this year have agreed a deal announcing Sport Event Denmark as an official partner of the elite European youth soccer tournament.

In a deal agreed with UEFA subsidiary UEFA Events SA, capsule Sport Event Denmark will generate local and international promotional campaigns for the tournament, ed which will feature eight teams playing at four Danish venues from 11th to 25th June. In addition, allergist the organisation can expect its branding to be present on signage at each game.

UEFA Events SA chief executive David Taylor said: “Uefa is delighted to welcome Sport Event Denmark on board as an official partner of the U21 tournament. Sport Event Denmark will give the championship a significant boost by providing valuable exposure for the tournament, as well as providing unmatched experience and expertise in supporting successful international events in Denmark.”

Lars Lundov, the chief executive of Sport Event Denmark, added: “We are very pleased to be an official partner – as well as event partner with the Danish Football Association (DBU) and the host cities – in terms of the Uefa European Under-21 Championship in Denmark. Being the governmental sport events organisation, we are very much looking forward to hosting this very important event in close cooperation with Uefa, the DBU and the four host cities.”