K-1 Global claims ownership of video library licensed by Glory to UFC Fight Pass

Kickboxing organization K-1 Global issued a response Monday morning in reaction to the announcement by UFC Fight Pass that the over the top digital platform will air Glory.  It appears that the K-1 may take issue with the ownership of its events.

In an email from its press office, K-1 made it known that it is the current and only owner of the K-1 trademarks and other K-1 related assets under the control of K-1 Global.  As such, it states that if any of its owned assets are to be used, it would need the permission of K-1 Global “before any such deal could be brokered.”  Thus, despite a deal with Glory, UFC Fight Pass would have to sign a deal with K-1 Global.

“No other third party has the rights or permission to sell K-1’s assets, nor has K-1 given any permission for such a sale,” states the email from K-1 Global.

The email states that during the bankruptcy of FEG in September 2013, it sold parts of the GLORY Sports International library that it had no legal rights to sell.  K-1 Global claims that it already had purchased the assets and thus any subsequent transfer of the rights to the library would be null.  It states that there is a legal process under way in Japan.  The press release does not state anything further about the current legal issue in Japan.

UPDATED:  For those wondering, Glory was to begin airing on UFC Fight Pass in two weeks time.   From the UFC press release, the Glory addition would have added, “over 2000 hours of elite striking action including the 27-event GLORY archive, seven major events from the It’s Showtime library and over 100 events from the iconic K-1 organization that featured athletes like Mark Hunt, Mirko Cro Cop and Alistair Overeem.”

Payout Perspective:

We’re not experts in Japanese Bankruptcy Law but it looks like K-1 is claiming it is the rightful owner of the video library and believes that if FEG sold the video library to Glory, it did not have the rights to do so.  As a result, it appears that K-1 Global might prevent the launch of Glory on UFC Fight Pass as there seems to be a dispute with respect to the ownership of the video library.  Certainly, UFC Fight Pass and Glory might be able to air videos not in dispute but that was not likely the financial arrangement.  Look for a lawsuit between K-1 Global and Glory if a deal is not negotiated between all parties.