Dr. Nepomuk Nothelfer

Research assistant

I am driven by the desire to make a difference because digital is now!

Nepomuk Nothelfer works, researches and lectures i.a. in the areas of civil, labor/employment and gambling law with a focus on esports and gaming as well as traditional sports.

Esports law is a dynamic cross-sectional matter that is still in the early stages of its development. Outstanding client work in the field of esports therefore requires three things: Expertise in the actual characteristics of the industry, broad knowledge regarding the most relevant legal subjects and in-depth knowledge of the respective political developments. Since 2018, Nepomuk Nothelfer has been combining his personal passion for gaming, esports and traditional sports with his profession. As co-founder of the world's first university Research Center for Esports Law and the world's largest interdisciplinary research network (Esports Research Network) as well as the scientific advisory board of the German Esports Federation, he has been doing pioneering work in the scientific examination of esports for years. This is also reflected in the large number of scientific publications and his work as editor of the esports section of the German journal Zeitschrift für Sportrecht und E-Sportrecht in der Praxis (Journal for Sports Law and Esports Law in Practice). In the Esports Research Network, he is responsible for all things legal and curates the Legal Database as well as the world’s largest multidisciplinary publication database in esports. In addition, as a lecturer on esports law, he trains the industry leaders of tomorrow, both nationally and internationally.

In addition to his work for SKW Schwarz, he also advises various national and international stakeholders from the landscape of associations and politics (e.g. the European Parliament and parliamentary parties in the German Bundestag) and is therefore not only well-versed in dealing with established law, but also involved in various legislative developments. Furthermore, he has repeatedly written expert opinions related to esports.

Career

Since 2022 Trainee lawyer at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court (Hamburg)
Since 2021: Research assistant at SKW Schwarz
2022: Doctorate in the field of esports law (University of Mannheim)
2022: Expert opinion and consulting regarding esports for the European Parliament (IP/B/CULT/IC/2022-004)
2021-2022: Member of the editorial board and editor esports of the journal Sportrecht und E-Sportrecht in der Praxis (Nomos Verlag)
2020-2021: Member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Esports
2020: Co-Founder of the Esports Research Network
2019: Co-Founder of the Research Center for Esports Law (University of Augsburg)
2016-2021: Research assistant and faculty council at the Faculty of Law of the University of Augsburg as well as academic council of the University of Augsburg
2011-2016: Law studies at the University of Augsburg

Miscellaneous activities

Nepomuk Nothelfer is a lecturer at various leading (inter)national educational institutions, e.g. the International University of Monaco, the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economia in Madrid and Barcelona, the University of Vienna, the Hochschule für angewandtes Management and the Verwaltungs- und Wirtschafts-Akademie Ostbayern/Schwaben.

He is a mentor in the renowned program LawWithoutWalls (University of Miami School of Law) and chairs the Working Group Gaming in the Di4 – Network for the Promotion of Digital Infrastructures, Investments, Innovations and Industry. Also, he is a (founding) member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Esports Association ESBD. From 2017 to 2020, he served as a member of the 25th and 26th faculty council and as the institute coordinator for civil law mid-level teaching of the Faculty of Law of the University of Augsburg as well as a member of the academic council of the University.

Presentations (selection)

Nepomuk Nothelfer is regularly invited as a speaker at (inter)national events in the fields of esports, gaming and sports, including IEM Cologne, IEM Katowice, ISDE Sports Convention, Dreamhack, ESIC Global Esports Summit, ESI Conference, eSports Business Summit, Global Entertainment & Sports Law + Industry Conference Miami, The Digital Infrastructure Investment Summit, Sportanwaltstag der ARGE Sportrecht im Deutschen Anwaltsverein and Esports Research Network Conference.

June 18, 2024: Presentation „Esports – Insights from two perspectives“ (Sportrecht aktuell by Orell Füssli in cooperation with FIFA)
April 12, 2024: Presentation „Regulators in Esports – Analysis of the Current Situation and Desired Situation“ (Conference of the Competence Center eSport of the University of Hanover – Esports: From Practice to Theory and Back)
April 10, 2024: Panel (participant) on „Gaming and Esports: A Lasting Investment or Temporary Trend for Sports Franchise Owners?” (Sports Business Days Monaco)
November 10, 2023: Panel (participant) on „Esports: Sports vs. Business“ (Games Ground Berlin)
September 15, 2023: Panel (participant) on “Integrity in Esports“ (Conference of the Research Center for Esports Law - Integrity in Esports)
August 6, 2023: Presentation “Presentation: Esports in Europe – Opportunities and Regulation” (IEM Cologne)
June 8, 2023: Interview in the podcast “BIGR 2023 by Chris Smith” – in English
May 25, 2023: Presentation “Tutorial Mode: Grundlagen des eSport-Rechts“ (Event Series of the Gaming & eSports Law Group of Bucerius Law School) – in German
May 19, 2023: Panel (participant) on “Digital Challenges in the Sports Sector“ (ISDE Sports Convention) – in English
February 11, 2023: Panel (participant) on “European Parliament-Report on Esports and Gaming: How bold is it and what´s coming next?“ (IEM Katowice) – in English
February 9, 2023: Fireside-Chat “A Wicked Problem? Esports governance and its complexities“ (ESIC Global Esports Summit 2023) – in English
January 4, 2023: Interview in the podcast “Im Spielekeller“ – Ep. 45 – in German
December 13, 2022: Interview in the Esports Insider article “MEP Laurence Farreng: European Union esports recognition a ‘big step’” – in English
16.12.2022: Panel (participant) on “Esport Job Session: Job Profiles in Esports“ (Dreamhack Hannover, Main Stage) – in German
November 10, 2022: Interview in the Esports Insider article “EU Parliament passes vote to recognise and fund esports, video games in Europe” – in English
November 4, 2022: Fireside-Chat „The Influence of Publishers on Professional Players“ (Conference of the Research Center for Esports Law - The Influence of the Publishers on the Ecosystems in Esports) – in German
August 27, 2022: Interview in „WDR 5 Sport inside – der Podcast: kritisch, konstruktiv, inklusiv“ – Ep. „Cosmos esports: peculiarities, risks, potentials“ – in German
June 22, 2022: Presentation “Is the EU looking to take a leading role in esports?” (Esports Lunch Lectures Germany, SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte) – in English
May 12, 2022: Panel (participant) on „Virtual Objects in Video Games - An Evaluation from the Perspective of Esports“ (Event on Virtual Objects in Video Games) – in German
May 6, 2022: Presentation „Esports and Sports Law“ (Virtual Coffee Break der International Sports Lawyers Association) – in English
April 6, 2022: Presentation “Esports and Video Games” (EU Stakeholder Meeting on esports and video games for the INI report of the EU Parliament [CULT Committee]) – in English
March 16, 2022: Presentation “Professional Esports Athletes: Freelancers or Employees?” (Esports Lunch Lectures Germany, SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte) – in English
March 14, 2022: Presentation „Esports and Video Games“ and corresponding Q&A session (Meeting of the EU Parliament [CULT Committee]) – in English
December 9, 2021: Panel (moderator) on “Players Management & Esports Education Session” (Esports Research Network Conference 2021) – in English
November 17, 2021: Presentation „Betting on Esports in Germany“ (Esports Lunch Lectures Germany, SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte) – in English
November 13, 2021: Presentation „Current Legal and Regulatory Issues in Esports“ (Sports Lawyer Conference Germany by the German Lawyer Association) – in German
October 7, 2021: Panel (participant) on „Esports Law“ (Conference of the Research Center for Esports Law – The Contract Design in Esports) – in German
October 6, 2021: Panel (moderator) on „Esports & Associations “ (Esports & Science, State University of Applied Sciences Mittweida) – in German
July 8, 2021: Presentation „Esports Law in Japan and Germany“ (German-Japanese Lawyers Association and the Goethe University of Frankfurt) – in German
May 12, 2021: Panel (participant) on „Hate & Agitation on the Internet“ (Theiners Talk with the Bavarian State Minister of Justice Georg Eisenreich) – in German
April 24, 2021: Panel (participant) on „Legislation Across Europe“ (eSports Business Summit 21) – in English
April 10, 2021: Panel (participant) on “The Future of Esports and Gaming Law” (Southern University Law Center Esports Summit 2021) – in English
January 26, 2021: Workshop „Labor/Employment Law in Esports“ (State Center for Esports and Digitization Schleswig-Holstein) – in German
October 1, 2020: Presentation „Esports – Game, Business, Legal Case” (digiWiesn 2020) – in German
September 3, 2020: Presentation „The Esports Definition – Formation, Subsumption, Legal Policy“ (Conference of the Research Center for Esports Law - The Incorporation of Esports into the German Legal System) – in German
August 6, 2020: Interview in the article of the German Press Agency „Esports in Bavaria: Is the strategy missing?” (dpa:200731-99-00356/) with the Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs Judith Gerlach – in German
June 25, 2020: Workshop „Tutorial: Esports Law“ (SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte , G2 Esports and Research Center for Esports Law) – in German
April 2, 2020: Invitation to panel (participant) on „New Developments in Entertainment and Sports Technology” (Global Entertainment & Sports Law + Industry Conference, University of Miami) – in English
March 4, 2020: Workshop „Esports – Definition and Legal Framework in Germany” (The Digital Infrastructure Investment Summit 2020) – in English
December 5, 2019: Presentation „Esports and Regulation: Where are we?“ and panel (participant) on „(E)Sports, Betting and Compliance“ (Colloquium: Sports Betting, Esports and Compliance, University of Augsburg) – in German
May 17, 2019: Presentation „Play Hard, Work Hard – When Gaming Becomes Work“ (Conference of the Research Center for Esports Law – Politics, Practice and Science in Dialogue) – in German
November 8, 2018: Keynote „The Blockchain Technology“ (Code is Law – Die Blockchain as a Revolution of Law), University of Augsburg) – in German

Publications

To date, Nepomuk Nothelfer has authored more than 30 scientific publications (totaling approximately 700 pages), including in the areas of labor/employment law, gambling and betting law, immigration law, tax and social security law, association law, and legal policy.

Monograph

“Die Inkorporation des eSports in das deutsche Rechtssystem – Definition, rechtlicher Status Quo und Regelungsansätze” (in German) (The Incorporation of Esports into the German Legal System - Definition, Legal Status Quo and Regulatory Approaches Doctoral Thesis on Esports Law) (Doctoral Thesis), in publication series „Schriften der Forschungsstelle für eSport-Recht“ (publishing house: Nomos Verlag)
Reviewed by
- Dr. Marie-Christin R. D. Bareuther, LL.M. (Bond) in SpoPrax 2023, 133-135
- Dr. Thomas Adloff and Sebastian Adloff in SUG 2023, 93-95
- Dr. Holger Jakob, LL.M. Eur. in SpuRt 2023, 431-432
- Prof. Dr. Anne Jakob in ZAP 2023, tba

Published Expert Opinions/Analyses

Background Analysis on Esports on behalf of the European Parliament (CULT committee), with Dr. Tobias M. Scholz
Policy Recommendation on Esports on behalf of the European Parliament (CULT committee), with Dr. Tobias M. Scholz

Papers in journals

“Die Verletzung der Wettkampfintegrität im eSport durch Umgehen spielinterner Ranking-Systeme” (in German) (The Violation of Competitive Integrity in Esports Through Circumventing In-Game Ranking Systems), SpoPrax 2022, p. 341-347, with Daniel Trunk
“Virtuelle Sportsimulationen in verbands- und rechtspolitischer Hinsicht” (in German) (Virtual sports simulations in the context of association and legislative policies), SpoPrax 2022, p. 66-72, with Daniel Trunk
„Wetten auf eSport-Ereignisse in Deutschland und Österreich“ (in German) (Betting on Esports Events in Germany and Austria), SpoPrax 2022, p. 20-25, with Patrick Petschinka
„Der sozialversicherungsrechtliche Status von E-Sportlern“ (in German) (The Status of Esports Players under Social Security Law), NZS 2021, p. 918-922, with Christian Koops
„eSport im Fadenkreuz der Sportwettensteuer – Eine Analyse des § 15 RennwLottDV-E“ (in German) (Esports in the Crosshairs of Sports Betting Tax Regulation - An Analysis of § 15 RennwLottDV-E), SpoPrax 2021, p. 116-123, with Dr. Lennart Brüggemann
„Die Bundesregierung zur Förderung des eSports in Deutschland – Antwort auf BT-Drs. 19/28730” (in German) (The Federal Government on the Promotion of Esports in Germany - Response to BT-Drs. 19/28730), SpoPrax 2021, p. 124-127
“Zulässigkeit von Wetten auf eSport-Ereignisse nach deutschem Glücksspielrecht“ (in German) (Admissibility of Bets on Esports Events Under German Gambling Law), ZfWG 2021, p. 128-137, with Prof. Dr. Martin Maties
„Das Versäumnis des Gesetzgebers in der Causa eSport und dessen Auswirkungen auf die Praxis“ (in German) (The Legislator's Shortcoming Regarding Esports and its Impact on Practice), SpoPrax 2021, p. 26-31, with Patrick Petschinka
„Das deutsche eSport-Visum (Teil II) - Eine kritische Analyse des § 22 Nr. 5 BeschV“ (in German) (The German Esports Visa (Part II) - A Critical Analysis of § 22 No. 5 BeschV), LR 2020, p. 276-283
„Das deutsche eSport-Visum (Teil I) - Eine kritische Analyse des § 22 Nr. 5 BeschV“ (in German) (The German Esports Visa (Part I) - A Critical Analysis of § 22 No. 5 BeschV), LR 2020, p. 266-275
„Die Anwendbarkeit des technischen Arbeitsschutzrechts bei spielbezogenen eSport-Tätigkeiten“ (in German) (The Applicability of Technical Occupational Safety to Game-Related Esports Activities), RdA 2020, p. 211-220, with Dr. Simge Kurt
„Der Arbeitnehmer im professionellen eSport (in German) (The Employee in Professional Esports), NZA 2019, p. 865-870, with Prof. Dr. Johannes Peter Francken and Dr. Philipp Schlotthauer

Comments on court decisions

„Die Europarechtskonformität von § 9 Abs. 1 Alt. 1 AGG und das rechtsmissbräuchliche Entschädigungsbegehren im Rahmen des § 15 AGG – Besprechungsaufsatz zum BAG-Urteil vom 25.10.2018 – 8 AZR 562/16 – mit Bezug auf das BAG-Urteil vom 25.10.2018 – 8 AZR 501/14“ (in German) (The Conformity of § 9 Abs. 1 Alt. 1 AGG with European Law and the Illegal Claim for Compensation), SAE 2019, p. 131-138
„Die Mehrarbeitsanordnung als Arbeitskampfmittel – Besprechungsaufsatz zum BAG-Beschluss vom 20.03.2018 – 1 ABR 70/16“ (in German) (The Overtime Order as a Tool of Job Action), SAE 2019, p. 63-70, with Philipp Schlotthauer

Papers in edited volumes

„(e)Sport im rechtlichen Sinne und privatrechtliche Beziehung zwischen Clan und eSportler“ (in German) ((E)Sports in the Legal Sense and the Relationship between Clan and Player under Civil Law; revised and updated for the 2nd edition), in: E-Sport – Status quo und Entwicklungspotenziale, 2. Ed. 2022), p. 49-80 (publishing house: Springer Gabler Verlag), with Dr. Philipp Schlotthauer
„Grenzen der Vertragsgestaltung im eSport am Beispiel Tfue vs. FaZe Clan“ (in German) (Limits of Contract Drafting in Esports Based on the Example of Tfue vs. FaZe Clan), in: eSport-Recht – Politik, Praxis und Wissenschaft im Dialog“, 2020, p. 209-247 (publishing house: Nomos Verlag), with Max Wörner
„(e)Sport im rechtlichen Sinne und privatrechtliche Beziehung zwischen Clan und eSportler“ (in German) ((E)Sports in the Legal Sense and the Relationship between Clan and Player under Civil Law), in: eSport – Status quo und Entwicklungspotenziale, 2020, p. 49-78 (publishing house: Springer Gabler Verlag), with Philipp Schlotthauer
Forthcoming: “Eine Einführung ins eSport-Recht - Kennzeichen der Branche und rechtliche Implikationen” (in German) (An Introduction to Esports Law - Industry Characteristics and Legal Consequences), in: Esports-Management- Handbook, p. XX-XX (publishing house: Springer Gabler Verlag), with Dr. Philipp Schlotthauer
Forthcoming: “Defining and Spelling Esports” (in English), in: Routledge Handbook of Esports, p. XX-XX (publishing house: Routledge), with Dr. Nicolas Besombes and Dr. Seth E. Jenny

Ongoing Commentary

Commentary regarding Esports Law, in: “Stichwort-Kommentar zum eSport-Recht” (Keyword Commentary for Esports Law)
- “Arbeitserlaubnis” (Work Permit), p. 38-39 (with Dr. Sebastian Klaus)
- "Aufenthalt” (Right of Residence), p. 121-123 (with Dr. Sebastian Klaus)
- "Einreise” (Right of Entry), p. 391 (with Dr. Sebastian Klaus)
- „eSportler, Sozialversicherung“, p. 447-454 (Player, Social Security) (with Christian Koops)
- „Gewerkschaft“ (Unions), p. 526-534
- "Immigration", p. 557-575 (with Dr. Sebastian Klaus)
- "Visum" (Visa), p. 1038-1040 (with Dr. Sebastian Klaus)
In the making: Commentary regarding Esports Regulation (Intersection: Gambling law), in: Commentary: „Glücks- und Gewinnspielrecht in den Medien“ (Gambling and Lottery Law in the Media), with Prof. Dr. Martin Maties

Miscellaneous

„Der organisierte Sport im eSport – Die Olympic Esports Series“ (in German) (Organized Sport in Esports – The Olympic Esports Series), in: Newsletter Sportrecht Nomos
"European Parliament adopts resolution on esports and gaming" / "Europäisches Parlament verabschiedet Resolution zu Esport und Gaming" (in English and German), in: SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte Blog
Editorial for the May 2022 issue of Sportrecht und E-Sportrecht in der Praxis (in German), SpoPrax 2021, p. 191
Editorial for the September 2021 issue of Sportrecht und E-Sportrecht in der Praxis (in German), SpoPrax 2021, p. 223
„Der eSport als Antwort für die HR-Probleme des deutschen Mittelstands“ (in German) (Esports as an Answer to the HR Problems of the German Mittelstand), manage it 2021, Ausgabe 5-6, p. 23-25, with Dr. Tobias M. Scholz
„Vom „Killerspiel“ zum Sport?“ (in German) (From "Killer Game" to Sports?), in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) – Einspruch, with Dr. Tobias M. Scholz
„Ein Jahr in neuen Gefilden – Jahresbericht 2019 der Forschungsstelle für eSport-Recht“ (in German) (A Year in New Territories – Annual Report 2019 of the Research Center for Esports Law), in: eSport-Recht – Politik, Praxis und Wissenschaft im Dialog, p. 7-18
“The parallels of golf and esports: History repeated?” (in English), in: Esports Research Network Blog, with Dr. Tobias M. Scholz
“Germany: Political Initiative Regarding the Non-Profit Status of Esports Clubs - Good news or bad news?” (in English), in: Connect On Tech