Superior Court Judge Kevin O'Halloran will consider the
Nets' request for a temporary restraining order blocking the name
change of Brendan Byrne Arena on Jan. 25, according to a report
in USA TODAY. NJSEA has agreed to refrain from using Continental
ads until the court ruling. The Nets and NJSEA are scheduled to
meet today on the matter and the two sides have agreed to keep
Continental's name off the shot clock at Nets' games and from
under the ice at Devils' games until the suit is settled. NJSEA
can use the airline's name on tickets and can publicly refer to
and promote the arena as Continental Airlines Arena. The naming
rights agreement gives the Devils 30% of the deal, while the
Nets' lease does not entitle them to any new revenues. Nets
spokesperson Howard Rubenstein said NJSEA "violated our license
agreement, and we have to go to court to protect those rights"
(USA TODAY, 1/10). The Nets cite a '92 addendum to their lease
that gives them the right of first refusal to any "new
advertising" the NJSEA plans to sell. Nets attorneys said both
that the team would have matched the $29M Continental deal, and
that they could have broken the deal up and made more money
(Newark STAR-LEDGER, 1/9).
