Riot Games and OGN Clash Over League of Legends Broadcast Rights
League of Legends developer, Riot Games, and South Korean esports channel, OnGameNet (OGN), are embroiled in a conflict over professional LoL broadcast rights. Despite OGN being instrumental in the development of the Korean League of Legends scene, Riot has decided to split the upcoming season of LoL Champions Korea between OGN and SpoTV, a sports-focused channel. As a result, the market will be divided equally between the two channels, further limiting its scope.
Moreover, there are reports from various South Korean esports sites that Riot Games Korea has filed a trademark application for LoL Champions Korea (LCK) along with a logo that bears striking similarities to OGN’s traditional logo. The comparison of the two logos can be found
here.
It is evident that the two logos share numerous similarities, even appearing almost identical in several ways. OGN’s logo has been in use since Azubu The Champions 2012, which started in March of that year. Riot’s new logo, on the other hand, was submitted on November 25 with a description that includes “video game match broadcasting” and “tournament preparation and organization for video game and computer game play.”
A Riot Games Korea employee responded to the situation, stating that the trademark application is part of the organization’s preparations for recognizing esports as an official sport. According to them, the timing of the project is coincidental and unrelated to the ongoing broadcasting dispute of LoL Champions. They emphasized that the trademark application should not be misinterpreted as a deliberate move to provoke OGN.
The Future of League of Legends on OGN
What are your thoughts on the conflict between these two esports powerhouses? There is speculation that OGN may even consider dropping League of Legends due to their discontent with Riot Games. Do you think this is a possibility? Share your opinions in the comments below. Don’t forget to stay updated with us at eSports Guru for all your League of Legends needs!
Source: Source, translated by @bnununu
League of Legends, Riot Games, OGN, broadcast rights, esports, LoL Champions Korea, trademark application, logo, South Korea