Frederic Caudron (Image courtesy of PBA)
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – The petition for a provisional injunction filed by Belgian Frederic Caudron against the Professional Billiards Association (PBA) of Korea to secure the right to participate in the PBA tour as an individual player has been dismissed.
The PBA Secretariat announced on Tuesday that Caudron’s petition for a provisional injunction, seeking the right to participate in the PBA tour, was rejected by the Seoul Central District Court on November 17.
Caudron, renowned as the “King of Billiards” on the professional billiards stage, was unable to renew his contract with Welcome Savings Bank after the conclusion of the second tour of the season. Consequently, he is expected to depart from the Korean professional billiards market.
Instead of joining the team league, Caudron expressed his intention to participate in the PBA tour as an individual player. However, the PBA Secretariat rejected his request based on the provision stating that a player designated through a draft system must sign a player contract with their respective team. If the player refuses the contract, the qualification for participating in individual tours can be restricted.
Caudron then filed a petition for a provisional injunction with the Seoul Central District Court to secure the right to participate in the PBA individual tour, but the court sided with the PBA Secretariat.
Regarding the dismissal of the petition, the Seoul Central District Court stated that the PBA player registration provision is an internal regulation concerning player registration and the necessary elements for implementing the regulation for the PBA league, noting that it was challenging to perceive this provision as lacking validity from a socially accepted perspective.
The court further explained that its decision was based on a comprehensive consideration of Caudron’s standing in the professional billiards community, the process of contract negotiation, the reasons for the failure of negotiations, Caudron’s desired terms, and the characteristics of the PBA league.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
