Tag: NFL

Supreme Court Denies Review of Davis v. Electronic Arts

This morning the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Davis v. Electronic Arts, Inc.  This case from the Ninth Circuit rejected a First Amendment defense to right of publicity claims when the videogame Madden NFL depicted professional football players without their permission. I and many other intellectual property and constitutional law scholars had called on the...

Eighth Circuit Tosses NFL Players’ Lawsuit

Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment against NFL players in Dryer v. NFL.  The underlying lawsuit involved objections by players to the use of their names and likenesses in NFL game footage and additional interviews in NFL-produced historical documentaries about “significant games, seasons, and...

NFL Player Pierre Garcon Drops Right of Publicity Suit Against FanDuel

Yesterday, Pierre Garcon dropped his class action against FanDuel for using his and other NFL players' names and likenesses in fantasy football games. It is not clear yet whether some sort of settlement was reached or if so, what monetary payout might have been made. Garcon may also have decided that the case would be...

Players Associations File Brief Supporting Reversal in Maloney

Earlier this week the NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS players associations filed an amicus brief supporting the NCAA student-athletes' appeal from a decision that held that their right of publicity claims were preempted by copyright law. The student-athletes objected to the sale of photographs that were licensed by the NCAA and that included images of...

Sarver Tells Ninth Circuit – Hey, Don’t Forget About Me!

In a letter filed this week in the Ninth Circuit, Sarver’s attorney reminds the Ninth Circuit that this case, which was argued on May 9, 2013, still has not been decided by the Court of Appeals. Sarver v. The Hurt Locker, LLC, involves a right of publicity claim (among other claims) for the alleged use...

Constitutional Law and Intellectual Property Law Professors Call on Supreme Court to Review Davis

Professor Eugene Volokh (UCLA) and I filed a brief today in support of granting certiorari in Davis v. Electronic Arts. The brief was signed on to by many leading constitutional law and IP law scholars. We call on the Supreme Court to address the disarray among lower courts about how to analyze the First Amendment...

NFL Players Sue FanDuel for its Fantasy Football Game

Pierre Garcon and other NFL Players filed suit today in federal district court in Maryland claiming that their names and likenesses were misapproriated in FanDuel's fantasy football game.  The complaint includes both right of publicity and false endorsement claims.  No question that here is another looming First Amendment collision with the right of publicity.  The...

8th Circuit Appears Divided in Dryer v. NFL Oral Arguments

The oral arguments from last Thursday’s hearing before the 8th Circuit in Dryer highlight a host of flashpoints in right of publicity law. The arguments focused on whether the use of historical film clips constituted commercial speech.  The plaintiffs’ attorney claimed that the use by the NFL was clearly commercial speech and therefore not entitled...