The End of Exclusive Player Licencing (EA)

[SWIL]

The Supreme Count gave the NFL a "what for" recently concerning anti trust laws. These implications could reach as far as video games:

Supreme Court Rules Against NFL In Antitrust Case : NPR

The U.S. Supreme Court has whacked the National Football League and most of the nation's big sports leagues, denying them a long-sought exemption from federal antitrust laws.

The justices ruled unanimously on Monday that the NFL's merchandising agreements, and by inference, similar agreements in other leagues, are not automatically exempt from the nation's anti-monopoly laws.

This case amounted to a Hail Mary pass by the NFL, an attempt at a legal game ender, with other sports leagues cheering on the football league. But the NFL was sacked by the Supreme Court and its 90-year-old senior justice, John Paul Stevens.

In his opinion for the court, Stevens outlined the facts. It used to be that the NFL licensed lots of companies to manufacture and sell caps, shirts, sweatshirts — all the stuff with team logos. But in 2000, like other sports leagues, the NFL decided to award its merchandising license for all 32 of its teams to just one manufacturer, Reebok.

When American Needle appealed to the Supreme Court, the NFL took a calculated gamble — that Hail Mary pass. Even though it had won in the lower courts, the NFL supported the request that the Supreme Court hear the case, hoping, apparently, that a Supreme Court win would enable the league to set prices not just for jerseys and caps, but for everything from game tickets to concessions to football video games and fees for playing fantasy football.

What this means this that pro sports organizations cannot legally chose just one company to represent their products- in this case it's hats. In the future.... video games??

 

[BCSsucks]

EA needs competition in the worst way
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[mason3132]

yes they do and alot of it.