The Gujarat National Law University Centre for Sports and Entertainment Law (GCSEL), is one of the first and the only centre throughout India that is working in the area of Research and Development of this branch of applied law. The centre has been expanding and developing ever since its inception in the year 2010, by working and getting associated with renowned and well known personalities of the field and has been working with dedication, towards development and generating awareness of these still born fields of law in India. The centre is presently working under 2 separate wings, one dealing with the Sports law, while the other with the Entertainment laws.
Sports law is one of those fields of law which are considered as applied law. It is a practical law as opposed to theoretical law and is concerned with how law in general interacts with the activity known as sports, physical education etc. Sports law is growing to be an important aspect of the sports industry and knowledge of the legal aspects of the sports business is a tool which future lawyers must possess.
The growing interaction between sports and law has created a new need in society for a greater understanding of how law relates to the sporting world. The Centre of Sports and Entertainment Law (GCSEL) established at the Gujarat National Law University is taking the initiative to offer expert law consultations to the sports industry in the legal regulation of sports in modern times and as an amalgam of such diverse legal disciplines as sports law and policy, contract, tort, taxation, labour, competition, TV rights, match fixing and related criminal laws etc. and building a generation of the best sports lawyers from legal novices at the national and International stage.
The Indian film industry, touted as the second-largest film industry in the world, has seen rapid growth since the 1984. The industry has grown by leaps and bounds since the 1980s and 1990s, with the opening of the markets, is now making its presence felt globally. The West is now waking up to the tremendous potential, in terms of both talent and revenue, which the industry has to offer, and production houses like Fox Studios, Viacom 18, and Walt Disney, keenly taking projects for producing Indian movies.
By opening up and relaxing of the entry barriers for foreign investments, several segments of the industry have especially undergone unprecedented advancements in multiple dimensions. These undercurrents have led to rapid changes in the face and working of the industry. Not just song and dance, the industry is now also well-known for cutting-edge digitization and special effects, power-packed performances and cinematography.
With these changes, the legal trends have also seen changes, and a need has arisen amongst the jurists, practitioners and industry-watchers alike for an examination of the laws that affect this industry. While many strides still need to be taken, entertainment has emerged as a distinct branch of the law, with an interesting blend of copyright and contracts law, amongst others.
The sports wing of GCSEL aims to provide legal infrastructure to the sports industry and to provide a forum of lawyers representing athletes, teams, leagues, conferences, civic recreational programs, educational institutions and other organizations involved in professional, collegiate, Olympic, physical education and amateur sports etc.
The Entertainment Wing aims to undertake research, training and extension activities for creating awareness and promotion of academic pursuits in the field of entertainment law.
