American in Japan about to sign his first MMA contract

Hello everyone. I’m an American MMA fighter living and working in Japan. I’m about to make my pro debut in a few weeks, and the gym I have been training at has offered me a management contract. Now I have heard stories about fighters getting taken advantage of in the early days in the career, and while I don’t expect to make a lot of money right away, I do want to be treated fairly. I would like to share and see what you have to think about it. I won’t go through the whole contract, but I will highlight some areas that I think are unfair/unreasonable, and even exploitative. 1) Renumeration: 1. If the fee is ¥30,000 or less, the gym will take 100%. 2. If the fee is more than ¥30,000 but less than or equal to ¥500,000, the gym will take 50%, and the remainder will go to you . 3. If the fee exceeds ¥500,000, the gym will take 70%, and the remainder will go to you. Additionally: • Sponsor Activity: • You must consult the gym regarding any sponsorship activities. • You must follow the gym’s instructions and are prohibited from negotiating or receiving sponsorships worth more than ¥100,000 on your own (excluding support money such as bonuses). 2) Rights Ownership 1. The gym owns all rights to broadcast the matches and events you participate in, including television, radio, DVDs, videos, CDs, cassettes, and other forms of secondary usage. 2. The gym owns all copyrights and related rights generated from your appearances and performances as outlined in the contract. 3. The gym owns all rights to use your image, ring name, and likeness for commercial purposes. It also owns any trademarks, copyrights, design rights, or other intellectual property resulting from this use. 4. These rights will remain with the gym even after the contract ends. Contract Restrictions with Other Companies 1. If the gym exercises its right to renew the contract (as described in the previous article), and you refuse, you are prohibited from entering into a contract or participating in any professional activities with another organization or individual for one year after the contract ends. 4) Damages and Penalties 1. If you violate Article 6 (regarding contracts with third parties), you must pay the gym a penalty of 10,000,000 yen (tax included). 2. If either party breaches the contract (excluding Article 6 violations), the breaching party must compensate the other party for damages caused by the breach. If you violate Articles 1, 1-3 (failure to participate in events), you must pay a penalty for the costs associated with your training and promotion, at a rate of 100,000 yen per month for each month of violation, up to the total of the violation period. 3. If your statements to the media damage the gym’s image, you must pay a penalty based on the amount of damage determined by the gym’s board of directors. 4. If either party violates the contract, the other party may terminate the contract after sending a notice. On top of these, the terms for termination of the contract are extremely strict. I am also not allowed to act independently in any way whatsoever in participating in other events even outside of Japan without a request from the gym. This contract is for 3 also for years. I believe that this contract was written for Japanese citizens, and not for foreigners. A giveaway to this I believe is the 3 year period along with the restrictions in pursuing sponsorships, as being an English speaking American affords me the opportunity to have many more sponsorship from overseas. It is not my intention to sound entitled as I understand this is a merit based career above all, and I am not naive to necessity of networking in order to receive sponsorships and fights. I do not intend to sign this contract as it is and will look to restructure it entirely. If I am unable to reach what I consider to be fair conditions, I will return back to the states and continue my pro career there. What do y’all think is fair? I don’t accept the “it’s your first contract, you’re going to get fucked over” thing that has hurt a lot of people in the past. A lot can happen in 3 years, positive or negative. 70% of over 500,000 yen (about $4k) is absolutely absurd. I’m a heavyweight, soon to be light heavyweight, so the road to those bigger fights, while riskier, is shorter so making that money in a couple of years isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Again, I’m only looking to be treated fairly and not be taken advantage of. submitted by /u/Which_Homework_9150 [link] [comments]