Tournament Legal Matters & License
All events must comply to a minimum legal framework, depending on the country and laws. But in this field, things are never simple.< /br> Here are some basic but useful advices, before you dive into it with legal experts and lawyers. We have also included a list of useful links to request community licenses for the main esports games.
Who can organize a tournament?
As it stands, we have yet to hear about a publisher that strictly forbids the organization of tournaments on its game. As such, private companies, non-profit organizations and individuals usually have the right to do it.
How can I name my tournament and when can I organize it?
This may not be obvious, but you can not name your tournament as you want. Some publishers will restrict the use of some terms such as World Cup, World Championship or Professional League.
Publishers can lock specific dates, so as to not disrupt their own official competition, divide live audiences or conflict with another event.
Who can participate in my tournament? How can I reward the winners?
Sometimes, publishers forbid the professional teams or players to take part in community tournaments. In the same way, there are often restrictions on who is allowed to play in competitions, based on regions, countries or age (the game's age restriction being the most prevalent one).
Most of the time, you also have a limit on what the winners can take home. In case of a cash prize, it is often limited to a maximum of a few thousands dollars.
What sponsors are accepted to finance my event and is a participant fee possible?
You can forget about brands from these markets from the get go: tobacco, alcohol, gambling, betting, NFT, firearms or pornography. Except betting for a few specific cases, all of the others are strictly forbidden by publishers. Moreover, it is sometimes prohibited to organize tournaments on other games at the same time.
The participant registration fee is not allowed by all publishers. Or it may only be allowed for some offline events.
Can I do live stream of my tournament and use the game's visual assets?
Live streaming is a field with few restrictions, fortunately. Still, there are some, such as not streaming on TV or a particular platform, strictly using the game specific spectator mode or mandatory free access to the competition for the viewers.
Finally, publishers can also request you to follow strict guidelines on how to use their game visual assets for your event, website and live stream.
Where to apply for a community tournament license?
You will find below a non-exhaustive list of where to get the community tournament license and apply for most of the publishers and esports games. For some publishers, it is necessary to contact the local representative directly to obtain a license, as no online document or form are available.
| PUBLISHER AND GAMES | LICENSE PAGES LINK |
|---|---|
| Riot Games League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, Wild Rift |
Link for Europe organizers Link for North American organizers Link for Oceanian organizers |
| Valve Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota2 |
Link for all location |
| Blizzard Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, Heroes of the Storm |
Link to community license |
| Blizzard Overwatch 1 and 2 | Link to community license |
| EA Sports FIFA23, NBA2K23, NHL2K3 |
Link to community license |
| EA Games APEX Legends |
Link to community guideline |
| Ubisoft Rainbow Six Siege |
Link to tournament license |
| Supercell Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans |
Link to tournament guideline |
| Krafton PUBG: Battlegrounds |
No public license. Contact your publisher local representative |
| Krafton PUBG Mobile |
Link to license request form |
| Epic Games Fortnite |
Link to event license terms |
| Epic Games Rocket League |
Link to community tournament guidelines |
| Activision Call of Duty |
Link to event request form |
| Activision Call of Duty:Mobile |
Link to event request form |
| XBOX Game Studios Halo 5 |
Link to application form |
| Nintendo Super Smash Bros Ultimate |
Link to community license |
| Capcom Street Fighter V |
Link to community license |
| Wizards of the coast Magic: The Gathering Arena |
Link to community tournament guideline |
| Bandai Namco Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ |
No public license. Contact your publisher local representative |
| Garena Free Fire |
No public license. Contact your publisher local representative |
| Level Infinite Arena of Valor |
No public license. Contact your publisher local representative |
| Z8Games CrossFire |
No public license. Contact your publisher local representative |
