LN-Eventim Decision Due Soon

The International Court Of Arbitration is expected to rule on the ongoing wrangle between Live Nation and CTS Eventim by the end of March.

The German ticketing giant, the biggest in Europe, filed an arbitration request to the ICC in April 2010.

It claimed Live Nation breached an agreement to license Eventim’s platform when it merged with Ticketmaster. It also said the deal cost Eventim the chance of getting a foothold in the UK.

The latter claim may have lost some of its impact when it became known that the Bremen-based company has recently secured the ticket contracts for Manchester Evening News Arena, Belfast Odyssey Arena and the new Leeds Arena, all run by SMG Europe and previously serviced by Ticketmaster.

Eventim’s made no official announcement of the deals – which were inked last autumn – but Pollstar can reveal that they become effective January 1, 2013.

Last year there were arbitration hearings on LN-Eventim in London in August and in New York in November.

Once the New York arbitration court sets out its judgment, it will need to be ratified by the ICC in Paris.