In the wake of the StarLadder Berlin Major, Valve, the creators of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, posted a blog entry Wednesday clarifying their position on CS:GO event exclusivity, conflicts of interest and media rights.
CS:GO reaffirmed that it is open to sanctioning leagues that experiment with "presentation, technology, formats, locations, etc." However, it stated that events cannot demand exclusivity in which teams that enter are not allowed to enter competitors' events.
The gamemaker wrote: "This form of team exclusivity is an experiment that could cause long-term damage. In addition to preventing other operators from competing, exclusivity prevents other events from keeping the CSGO ecosystem functioning if an individual event fails."
CS:GO also reiterated its stance that Major events avoid conflicts of interest "where a tournament, team, or player has a financial relationship with any other participating team or its players." Multiteam ownership or leagues owned by multiple teams are prohibited.
According to the blog, "In open events, like the Majors, teams with these business arrangements may have (real or perceived) financial interest in the success of teams that they are competing with. In order to participate in Majors, we require that players, teams, and tournament operators confirm that they have no existing conflicts of interest, or if they do, disclose them and work to resolve them."
Regarding media rights, CS:GO stated that Major tournament operators retain the sole broadcast license. However, the gamemaker encouraged tournaments to be "inclusive" regarding video footage.
The company wrote, "Major tournament operators are expected to work with streamers in order to provide viewers with access to valuable alternative content and underserved languages, whether through official streams or otherwise. Anyone that wants to offer a unique perspective and co-stream the Major should reach out to the Major tournament operator ahead of time in order to ensure a good experience for everyone involved."
--Field Level Media