In 2016, Take-Two, a video game company that is the creator of the NBA 2K series of video games, was sued by Solid Oak Sketches, a company who owns the copyright in several NBA players’ tattoos. Solid Oak argued that the video game series, which seeks to simulate the NBA, infringed on their copyright because […]
Tag Archives: sports
Texas Band Hits Chick-Fil-A, ESPN with Copyright Suit Over College Football Commercial
Law360 reported a Texas rock band’s representatives, Platinum Jack Entertainment Inc., filed suit against Chick-Fil-A Inc. and ESPN Inc. in Texas federal court on Tuesday. The suit alleges that the pair of companies stole a song from Dallas rock band Drayter for in the background of two commercials the companies released featuring the well-known Chick-Fil-A […]
US Soccer Execs Ask Courts to Show NASL’s Suit a Red Card
This past week, Law360 reported that U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) executives filed a motion to dismiss in the North American Soccer League’s (NASL) suit in New York state courts. NASL filed suit in February alleging a breach of fiduciary duty and a purposeful scheme by USSF executives to undermine NASL while promoting the other major […]
Nike Gets the ‘W’ in ‘Jumpman’ Copyright Suit
On Tuesday, February 27, a 2-1 split Ninth Circuit panel rejected a copyright suit against Nike Inc. alleging the athletic company’s “Jumpman” logo infringed on a photographer’s copyright. The court ruled that the logo was not substantially similar enough to Jacobus Rentmeester’s photo of Jordan from a 1984 issue of LIFE magazine. Rentmeester originally had […]
College Athletes Sue Fantasy Sports Gambling Sites
In May 2016, a class of former college athletes sued FanDuel and DraftKings, alleging that the sites wrongfully profited from their likenesses. Relying on Indiana’s right of publicity statute, the former college athletes argued that FanDuel and DraftKings violated their right to control the commercial use of their own identities. The case was dismissed in district court by U.S. District Judge […]
Southern Miss Faces Discrimination Lawsuit from Recruit with One Kidney
On November 29, Devon Hammond filed a civil rights lawsuit against the University of Southern Mississippi (“Southern Miss”) for violating federal antidiscrimination law. Hammond alleges the school discriminated against him by refusing to let him play football after learning Hammond only has one kidney. Hammond, a former Louisiana State University (“LSU”) football recruit, transferred to […]
Blocking Goodell’s Go-Ahead Contract Extension
According to Sports Illustrated, Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, has threatened to sue the National Football League (“NFL”) and other NFL franchise owners. Specifically, he has threatened to sue the owners of the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers, all members of the […]
GOP Tax Plan Doesn’t See Fun in Stadium Funding
In the latest tax reform proposal, private activity bonds – a standard tool to finance stadium construction for decades – have been placed on the chopping block. House Republicans released proposed tax reforms that would eliminate private activity bonds. Interest earned on private activity municipal bonds is tax exempt. It is estimated that the government […]
Online Sports Wagering? Don’t Bet On It
On October 30, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed House Bill 271, a gaming expansion bill that legalizes, among other things, online sports betting in Pennsylvania. Wolf’s signature comes a week after the state legislature passed the bill, which legalizes and regulates daily fantasy sports, online gambling, and sports betting. The bill includes a steep 36% […]
NASL and USSF Take the Pitch
On Tuesday October 31, North American Soccer League asked U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie to issue a preliminary injunction blocking a denial of its Division II application by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The hearing arose out of NASL’s September antitrust suit against USSF and its alleged co-conspirators Major League Soccer, Soccer United Marketing, and […]