Rangers suffer court setback versus NHL
This item on MSG's latest legal setback is a perfect one on which to close out the week and start a brief vacation.
It's a topic I've been ignoring in the newspaper and on the blog for fear of boring readers, but it is newsworthy, sort of, so I'm happy my friends at The Sports Business Journal wrote about it today so I don't have to. Here it is, by Eric Fisher and Tripp Mickle:
A U.S. District Court judge in N.Y. today denied MSG's request for a preliminary injunction that would have left operational control of the NHL Rangers' official Web site with the club instead of migrating to a common NHL platform. Ruling on arguments made during an October 23 hearing, Judge Loretta Preska wrote, "I find that the goal of building a League brand is a legitimate, procompetitive aim of the NHL and that the restriction imposed by the joint venture of not operating a rival Rangers site serves the procompetitive purposes of having League uniformity, facilitating fan navigation, attracting advertisers due to larger mass, reduction transaction costs in advertisement negotiations, and preventing individual teams from free-riding off of the League efforts."
MSG and the Rangers have argued that the NHL's attempt to create a common Internet platform, and fine the club $100,000 per day for non-compliance, constituted an antitrust violation. But Preska also said, "Because MSG has failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits or a sufficiently serious question going to the merits, I do not reach the issues of whether the League's fine on the Rangers constitutes irreparable injury or whether the balance of hardships tips decidedly toward the team."
MSG officials pledged to appeal the ruling against the injunction and also vowed to proceed with its overall lawsuit against the NHL. "This decision is one step in what will be a very long legal process and we look forward to having the opportunity to present the facts, which support our position."
E-mail
Facebook
Digg
Delicious
Comments (5)
Neil, their ratings last year in the playoffs were a nightmare, they have virtually no coverage in baseball city USA because they cannot compete with baseball and they lost more money than any team going into the lockout because Cablevision overspends out of their own pocket.
That's what happened when Dolan had full control of his website so why does he need it now?
This is a franchise hat should have moved in an outdated building by the 80's without corporate welfare and tax exemptions which they still get to this day.
Again, why is Newsday doing this invisible Ranger franchise any coverage favors or is Dolan threatening the paper with pulling Knicks access?
They don't deserve coverage a blog or any mention beyond AP in Newsday.
Those are the facts you need to present. Not ones because of the mid-40's Ranger fans in the media who sat in the old garden.
Anon:
What facts exactly are you presenting?
please don't leave without getting us word on Lou. after that, have a nice vacation
Sarah you are increasingly pathetic
Invisible Ranger franchise? Are you kidding me? How about we disband the hideous Islander franchise? They are the ones who deserve nothing more than AP coverage in Newsday. As a matter of fact, Newsday is the only paper to give them coverage, guess because they are a sponsor of the team. I guess when there are thousands and thousands of Ranger fans living on Long Island, Newsday knows better than to forget about the Rangers.