Will FEI Non Rights Holder restrictions upset Blenheim coverage?

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of my Blenheim 2024 experience one thing is for certain; there won’t be a repeat in 2025. How can I be so sure? Easy - as an FEI named event, Blenheim 2025 will be subject to the FEI Non Rights Holders rules, which we discussed earlier this year, and which means that accreditation for a video based operation such as Harveywetdog will definitely not be an option.

A beautiful setting 
©️Harveywetdog 

It is for others to determine why this move by the FEI is either necessary or helpful. Is it about protecting media rights, or is it more to do with restricting the flow of sometimes gruesome moving images from events appearing to undermine the FEI’s claim that equine welfare is their number one priority?

FEI NRH restrictions

As I explained in my previous blog, equestrian sport, in common with all sport, is not a copyrightable work. Instead, events attempt to protect their IP by controlling access, making not recording images a condition of entry and severely restricting accredited media, wishing to record video, access to the field of play. FEI takes this a stage further by placing restrictions on owners and riders as well.

Read my previous blog on copyright

Certainly not wishing to upset the media office who supported my accreditation has restricted my output in the past. Riders also ask for video to be taken down and I generally comply with these requests, mostly to avoid complaints being made to the organisers which could have a negative impact on accreditation requests in the future.

When accreditation works
©️Harveywetdog

In the grand scheme of things, the descending scale of value of event images is as follows - live video (premium value), recorded video, still images. Although the admission ticket will undoubtedly prohibit all three forms of recording by the public, the organisers will ultimately be powerless to prevent it, in the majority of cases, and current copyright law will allow those who are able to get their recorded images off site to upload them for public consumption and, hopefully, profit.

My initial blog on FEI NRH restrictions

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Harveywetdog/Author - David Robinson CEng FIET 

David spent approaching 50 years in Her Majesty's Electricity Supply Industry before retiring

He was part of the highly successful design team on the Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station Project before spending 25 years producing safety cases to keep our aging AGR fleet generating for the good of the nation

He is responsible for the Harveywetdog YouTube Channel which he maintains as an outlet for his creative talents

David is now in remission from blood cancer but refuses to be a victim

All views are now his own but might be influenced by the medication he's had to take