Proposed Michigan Law to kill athletes "right of publicity"?
 

Michigan may pass a law that kills players' rights to video game revenue - HardballTalk - Baseball - NBC Sports

"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.

We need money over here. Anyone want to make a game?

I hate that game companies make money off of the image/work of others, but it doesn't seem like a bad gamble by MI to start up a high tech industry.

Well CNN/FOX/MSNBC and other non-press entities use sports celebrity images all the time and nobody complains.

That settles it, Jim. Full graphic overhaul.

FOF2k11, featuring Evan Longoria, LeBron James, and Tom Brady.

I like it.

Does mean college players can be used?

See Madden 64. Madden Football 64 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I remember wanting no part of this game as a kid because there were no real teams in it...opting instead for QB Club 96 or whatever it was.