SirFozzie
05-12-2010, 06:59 PM
Michigan may pass a law that kills players' rights to video game revenue - HardballTalk - Baseball - NBC Sports (http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/michigan-may-pass-a-law-that-kills-players-rights-to-video-game-revenue.html.php)
"This Michigan bill, however, takes those rights away by specifically exempting video games from right of publicity laws. This means that if this law passes, a Michigan-based video game manufacturer could, if it were so inclined, put Evan Longoria in its games, slap his face on the cover of the box and sell the thing even if Longoria objected. And they wouldn't have to pay him. To be sure, Michigan is only one state, and it isn't a state that has a booming video game manufacturing industry. But right of publicity laws are creatures of the states, not the United States Code, and in those cases states tend to copy each other, if not try to outdo each other."
Just imagine what it would do if the only thing that Madden could trademark is the NFL Teams and Colors.. if you could play the New England Minutemen with QB Tom Brady.. would you really miss the word patriots and the logo?
This would KILL the Madden exclusivity.
"This Michigan bill, however, takes those rights away by specifically exempting video games from right of publicity laws. This means that if this law passes, a Michigan-based video game manufacturer could, if it were so inclined, put Evan Longoria in its games, slap his face on the cover of the box and sell the thing even if Longoria objected. And they wouldn't have to pay him. To be sure, Michigan is only one state, and it isn't a state that has a booming video game manufacturing industry. But right of publicity laws are creatures of the states, not the United States Code, and in those cases states tend to copy each other, if not try to outdo each other."
Just imagine what it would do if the only thing that Madden could trademark is the NFL Teams and Colors.. if you could play the New England Minutemen with QB Tom Brady.. would you really miss the word patriots and the logo?
This would KILL the Madden exclusivity.