Altenar has initiated opposition against Sportradar’s attempts to take a case related to its sports data in the courtroom in the USA and send it off to arbitration in Zurich.
The case is centered around the issue of obtaining access to live data from the major sports leagues operating within the USA and accusations against Sportradar for engaging in actions that breach the rules of competition.
Altenar has filed the lawsuit with the US District Court located in New Jersey, and the main point of the lawsuit is that Sportradar was involved in actions that violate the rules outlined in Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
In turn, Sportradar has demanded that the case should take place in arbitration court located in Switzerland and has referred to the agreement that had been signed by the companies back in 2021 whereby they had agreed to arbitrate the disputes arising from their dealings.
Altenar stated:
Sportradar is entitled to arbitrate the disputes it actually agreed to arbitrate. It is not entitled to use the MPA as a shield against the Sherman Act in the very market the agreement carved out.
The lawsuit includes information from the NHL, NBA, MLB and ATP. It is stated by Altenar that Sportradar has limited the availability and pricing of live sports data needed for sports betting services.
The firm claims that Sportradar is taking advantage of its position in the sports data market to hinder competition, including that which might impact Altenar’s sportsbook technology business.
The court in New Jersey will decide whether the dispute can go on in federal court or if it should be settled in court in Zurich.