OT: Legal notices

[Honolulu Blue]

While searching for items about licensing for the use of athletes' names and likenesses, I came across the EA Legal Notice page.

This is the notice for Madden 2003:

Madden NFL™ 2003

© 2002 Electronic Arts Inc. EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo and John Madden Football are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. © 2002 NFLP. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. All other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is registered trademark of the NFL players. www.nflplayers.com © 2002 PLAYERS INC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. EA SPORTS™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand.

Now, this is the notice for NASCAR Thunder 2002:

NASCAR Thunder™ 2002

© 2001 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. NASCAR is a registered trademark and NASCAR Thunder is a trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. John Andretti name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, LLC. "The General Mills trademarks used under license." © 2001 Evernham Motorsports, LLC. Dodge® is a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation. The ‘Valvoline’ trademarks, and Johnny Benson’s name and/or likeness used by authority of MBV Motorsports, LLC, Mooresville, NC. © 2001 MBV Motorsports/Johnny Benson Enterprises, Inc. The 'CITGO' trademarks, Roush Racing and Jeff Burton's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, MI. Ward Burton and Bill Davis Racing trademarks and likenesses are used under license from Caterpillar, Inc. CAT, CATERPILLAR and their design marks are registered trademarks of Caterpillar Inc. © 2001 Caterpillar. The Papermate, Rubbermaid, and Sharpie trademarks are trademarks of Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. or its subsidiaries and are used by permission. Roush Racing and Kurt Busch's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, Michigan. The name, signature and likeness of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the stylized #8, likeness of the #8 racecar and the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. crest or script logo are licensed under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. © 2001 Evernham Motorsports, LLC. Bill Elliott trademarks licensed by CMG Worldwide. Dodge® is a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation. ©2001 JG Motorsports, Inc. The name and likeness of Jeff Gordon and the likeness of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet is used under license granted by JG Motorsports, Inc. ©2001 J.G. Motorsports, Inc. Jeff Gordon name, likeness and signature and likeness of the J.G. Motorsports Inc. # 24 Pepsi Racing Monte Carlo are used under license by J.G. Motorsports, Inc. PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA, and the Pepsi Globe design are trademarks of Pepsi Co. Inc. Bobby Hamilton and Andy Petree Racing are licensed under the authority of Andy Petree Licensing. Flat Rock, NC. 2001. ©2001 Square D All rights reserved. D and Square D are registered trademarks of Square D Company licensed by TMDG, Charlotte, NC. UPS®, UPS.COM®, UPS Racing logo®, and the UPS Logo® are registered trademarks of the United Parcel Service of America Inc. and used under license. Dale Jarrett and Robert Yates Racing trademarks are used under license. The 'DeWALT' trademarks, Roush Racing and Matt Kenseth's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, MI. The yellow and black color scheme is trademark for DeWALT® Power Tools and Accessories. "Bobby Labonte ®", #18® and "Interstate® Batteries" licensed under authority of Joe Gibbs Racing, Huntersville, NC. Terry Labonte - License Granted By Kellogg Company and Hendrick Motorsports, TM, ® Kellogg Canada Inc. in/dans Canada. TM ®Kellogg Company Inc. elsewhere/partout ailleurs/en otros paises. © 2001 Kellogg Company. Used under license/utilize sous license/bajo licencia. ® #5 design ® Hendrick Motorsports. Used under license/utilize sous license/bajo licencia. © 2001 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. All rights reserved. Trademark usage by License of Cingular Wireless, Inc. Kevin Lepage name and likeness and KODAK, MAX and Trade Dress are trademarks licensed to Electronic Arts by Eastman Kodak Company. Design 4 is a trademark of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, Inc. (Sterling Marlin) Chip Gnassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Trademark Usage by License of COORS BREWING COMPANY, GOLDEN, COLORADO. Roush Racing's and Mark Maritn's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, MI. Penske Racing, LLC trademarks, including the #12 and the likeness of the racecar, and Jeremy Mayfield's name and/or likeness are granted by license from Penske Racing, LLC. "Mobil 1", Mobil "Pegasus" and the Flying Red Horse are registered trademarks of Mobil Oil Corp. © 2001 Hendrick Motorsports / UAW / Delphi. Andy Petree Racing, Joe Nemechek, and Oakwood Homes are licensed under the authority of Andy Petree Licensing, Inc. Flat Rock, NC 2001. Penske Racing South, Inc. trademarks. Including the #02 and the likeness of the racecar, and Ryan Newman's name and/or likeness are granted by license from Penske Racing South, Inc. ALLTEL marks are registered trademarks of ALLTEL Corporation. The name, signature and likeness of Steve Park are licensed under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Licensed by Steve Park Motorsports, L.L.C. The stylized #1, likeness of the #1 race car and the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. crest or script logo are under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Pennzoil® is registered trademark of Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. Kyle Petty name and/or likeness are used under license by Petty Marketing Company, LLC. Sprint and the diamond logo are trademarks of Sprint Communications Company, L.P. Paint and decal design copyright © 1999 Sprint. Richard Petty items licensed by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C. the Richard Petty name, signature and silhouette are exclusive trademarks of Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C. Texaco, Robert Yates Racing and Ricky Rudd Trademarks are used under license. The 'Motorcraft' trademarks, Wood Brothers Racing and Elliott Sadler's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, MI. ©2001 MB2 Motorsports/KSR, Inc. ®M&M's, M and the M&M's Characters are trademarks of Mars, Inc. and it's affiliates. ©Mars, Inc. 2001. “Snickers”, “Skittles”, “Starburst”, “Kudos”, “Combos” and “Taste the Rainbow” are registered Trademarks of Mars, Incorporated and are under license. “Pedigree” and the “Rosette Design” are trademarks of Kal Kan Foods, Inc. ©Mars, Inc. The likenesses of #31 race car, the "RCR" Richard Childress Racing checkered flag logo, and the stylized "31" are trademarks of Richard Childress Racing Enterprises, Inc. and along with the likeness and signature of Mike Skinner (trademarks of Mike Skinner) and the Team Lowe's and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse trademarks (trademarks of Lowe's Companies) are used under license from Richard Childress Racing Enterprises, Inc. Team Lowe's and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse are trademarks of LF Corporation. "Kmart" trademarks; "Route 66" trademark; "Jimmy Spencer" name, signature and likeness; and likeness of the #26 Haas-Carter Motorsports race team are used under license granted by Haas-Carter Motorsports, LLC. "Tony Stewart®", "#20® and "The Home Depot ®" licensed under authority of Joe Gibbs Racing, Huntersville, NC. "Kenny Wallace" name, signature and likeness are used under licensed granted through TMDG, Charlotte, NC. Licensed by Rusty Wallace, Inc. and Penske Racing South, Inc. The name, signature and likeness of Michael Waltrip are licensed under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. The Michael Waltrip trademark and the name signature and likeness of Michael Waltrip are owned by, and used under license from Michael Waltrip, Inc. and/or Michael Waltrip. The stylized #15, likeness of the #15 race car and the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. crest or script logo are under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Nestle Nesquick, Libby's Juicey Juice, Nestle Carnation Coffee-Mate, Nestle Toll House and Nestea are registered trademarks of Nestle and are used with permission. Driver's name and likeness, used by permission of Jeff Green Enterprises, Inc. Ppc Racing used by permission of ppc Racing, Inc. Kevin Grubb name and likeness, Brewco Motorsports, Inc. marks and sponsors marks licensed by Brewco Motorsports, Inc. Central City, KY. "Mike McLaughlin", #18® and "MBNA ®" licensed under authority of Joe Gibbs Racing, Huntersville, NC. Jamie McMurray name and likeness, Brewco Motorsports, Inc. marks and sponsors, #27 Williams Travel Centers marks licensed by Brewco Motorsports, Inc. Central City, KY. Williams Travel Centers is a registered trademark of Williams Co. The Michael Waltrip trademark and name and likeness of Michael Waltrip are owned by, and used underlicense from Michael Waltrip, Inc. and/or Michael Waltrip. Hot Tamales ® and the sun character are registered trademarks of Just Born, Inc. © 2001. Jani-King and the Jani-King logo are registered trademarks of Jani-King International, Inc. and are used under license. New Hampshire International Speedway®", "Magic Mile®", "Loudon Classic®" and the related images and logos are the proprietary property of New Hampshire Speedway, Inc., and are used under license from New Hampshire Speedway, Inc. Chevrolet, Monte Carlo, Pontiac, Grand Prix, the Chevrolet “Bow Tie” emblem, the Pontiac “Arrowhead” emblem, and vehicle model body designs are General Motors trademarks used under license to Electronic Arts Inc. Dodge is a trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation. Ford, Taurus and vehicle model body designs are trademarks of Ford Motor Company and used under license to Electronic Arts. Inc. No Fear is a registered trademark of No Fear, Inc. and its use is pursuant to a limited trademark authorization from No Fear, Inc. STP® trademark used under license. LOONEY TUNES, characters names and all related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. All other car, team, and driver images, track names, trademarks, and other intellectual property are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

I think I'm beginning to understand why there aren't very many stock car racing games out there.

(NOTE: In the interest of completeness, I should point out that the legal notice for NASCAR Thunder 2003 is only about 1/3 as long as the one for 2002)

[Qwikshot]

Wow, thank god for lawyers...

[Ksyrup]

I don't know how NASCAR works, but the drivers need to form a union! I didn't realize, until it came up in the context of Jeff Gordon's divorce, that every driver's salary is confidential, no one knows what kinds of sponsor deals the other drivers have, etc. Talk about working in the dark.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
I don't know how NASCAR works, but the drivers need to form a union! I didn't realize, until it came up in the context of Jeff Gordon's divorce, that every driver's salary is confidential, no one knows what kinds of sponsor deals the other drivers have, etc. Talk about working in the dark.

A union will never happen among NASCAR drivers. First of all, the France family is hostile to such an idea, and what they say pretty much goes. And second, the drivers make too much money for a union to work well. The temptation would be too great for strikebreakers, among other things.

There have been enough hints here and there that have been made public that one could guess how much drivers make. At least I can. The prize money for each driver is made public, and the owner and driver split that. The bonus pool money is also public. That leaves endorsements and royalties - both of which are minimal for most drivers.