re: Electronic Arts: Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action

Alright, so i read thru this. And its the monopoly lawsuit, not the sam keller likeness lawsuit. Here are some TL;DR cliffs from my point of view

source LINK

quote:

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2.What is this lawsuit about? Answer: The lawsuit claims that Electronic Arts violated federal and California antitrust laws, as well as California consumer protection laws, by signing exclusive licensing agreements with the Arena Football League (“AFL), the Collegiate Licensing Company (“CLC”) (on behalf of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”)), the National Football League (“NFL”), and the National Football League Players Association (“NFLPA”). The lawsuit claims that these agreements gave Electronic Arts a monopoly over an alleged market for league-branded, simulation football videogames, and allowed it to charge higher prices than it would have in a competitive environment. The suit seeks to recover monetary damages and restitution, as well as injunctive relief.

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My problem with this... no one forced us to buy these games. we did so on our own, fully aware of what we were doing.

I suppose the class action comes from the fact millions of people were "denied" a competitor (2k games COUGH) of making a competitive product

this lawsuit challenges this "Deal" made between EA and the above named

EAs retort:

quote:

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Electronic Arts denies Plaintiffs’ allegations. Electronic Arts asserts that (i) there is no such thing as a discreet “market” for league-branded, simulation football videogames; (ii) the NFL and its Players’ Association, the NCAA, and other licensors asked Electronic Arts and other game publishers to bid for the rights to make videogames using their trademarks and other intellectual property rights; (iii) EA did so and was awarded certain rights to make videogames using these licensors' trademarks and other intellectual property rights; (iv) it is not illegal to bid on trademark licenses, exclusive or otherwise, that intellectual property owners choose to offer, (v) exclusive trademark licenses are commonplace and widely accepted in commerce and under the law as one legitimate way for an intellectual property rights holder to maximize the value of its property, (vi) the conduct challenged by Plaintiffs has not injured consumers, and (vii) Electronic Arts has never charged supra-competitive prices for its videogames.

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The proposed settlement has $27 million in the fund, and each of us who bought these games can get $20 and $5 a piece, depending on the generation

So, we the consumer can either file a class action claim and get in on this money (not a lot), file our own lawsuit (lol?), or do nothing (which i recommend)

Im not entirely familiar with California monopoly law. The court has not reached any decision.

if you are bored and want to get involved, fill out a claim. You may get 50 to 100 bucks sometime within the next 5 years