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Madden NFL 17 News Post


It seems the likeness lawsuit settlements and final judgements continue to roll out against sport game makers -- the last announced today is Jim Brown receiving a $600,000 settlement from EA.

Check out the full press release:

Quote:
"Iconic running back and Hollywood actor Jim Brown has agreed to accept a voluntary judgment offered by Electronic Arts (EA) stemming from the use of his likeness in Madden NFL video games, according to Hagens Berman. EA will pay $600,000 in exchange for a dismissal and release of Brown’s claims.

Brown’s attorney Robert Carey praised the outcome, saying, “This recovery marks an important victory for plaintiffs in publicity-rights cases, and athletes in particular. Big business should think twice before it turns players’ hard-won identities and achievements into merchandise without permission or compensation.”

Brown concurred, “I took a stand for all athletes and laid a framework for future plaintiffs with my great legal team. Hopefully, this is a step forward in getting companies like Electronic Arts to recognize the value that athletes have in selling their products.”

EA’s best-selling Madden NFL football game allowed users to play as Brown’s team (the 1965 Cleveland Browns) and other historic franchises. Brown’s suit alleged that EA asked to use his likeness and that he expressly refused. EA nonetheless created an avatar in the game that mimicked Brown’s height, weight, skin color, experience, team, position and ability level.

The payment will exceed amounts EA has reportedly paid other athletes to appear not only in the game, but on the Madden NFL cover."

This is obviously just the latest of several lawsuits ongoing against EA for using likenesses within past sports games. The most famous of which was the Ed O'Bannon case which effectively ended the NCAA Football and Basketball series' from EA.

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Member Comments
# 1 worstsportsgamer1977 @ 06/28/16 06:13 PM
how many other pro football athletes are suing ea? what does this mean for the future of the series? does this only apply to players who have retired? I know in basketball series, reggie miller, charles barkley and chris webber are never in video games anymore. Is this the same type of situation??
 
# 2 dk6663 @ 06/28/16 07:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WISports
Jim Brown is the biggest (insert bad word here). Always has been, always will be.
True that. Talented maybe, one of the best, sure. But I never really liked him or his attitude. 600K, a piddly drop on the EA bucket. He could have kept that, the doggone lawyers are going to get most of it. Wast of the courts time. he must not have any kids or grands that ever wanted to be Jim Brown in Madden. #AndImReallyMadAboutIt !
 
# 3 BayRaider510 @ 06/28/16 07:16 PM
Probably running out of money and needed a payday, EA being an easy target
 
# 4 Ghost Of The Year @ 06/28/16 07:20 PM
EA should make all their "fake" players purple, or green.
I really feel EA should give me some money 'cause I'm sure one of their creations looks like me.
 
# 5 XxKnicksRules215xX @ 06/28/16 07:26 PM
Good for Jim Brown.
 
# 6 dk6663 @ 06/28/16 07:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by XxKnicksRules215xX
Good for Jim Brown.
Jim Browns Net Worth is 50 Million.......Good for him, really ?
 
# 7 TerryP @ 06/28/16 07:44 PM
Don't really care about the man one way or another, but at least he was a somebody, unlike Ed O'Bannon, a big nobody.
 
# 8 l8knight1 @ 06/28/16 07:49 PM
Jim Brown is not hurting for money, and after his legal 'team' gets their mitts on settlement, there won't be a significant amount left. This is about Jim Brown grasping to remain significant, and he does what he can to remain newsworthy. He could have remained significant in a much classier way by working with EA instead of the legal money grab. I played the madden games with the classic teams and this is a joke. Ill be calling him John Dowd on my future classic rosters. PS..he can put this likeness in his pipe and toke on it.
 
# 9 Brooke2011 @ 06/28/16 08:23 PM
So ridiculous. Who comes up with these amounts ....... Total BS hit to EA. For crying out loud the couch of the Patriots in madden 16 is a dead ringer for my nephew..... Should he sue too? This is just another way of lawyers and well off individuals to get a pay day
 
# 10 spacefunk @ 06/28/16 08:54 PM
If I were the judge I would challenge Brown's legal team to find me one human being that bought a copy of Madden because they wanted to play as Jim Brown. I love and miss historic teams but that was never the main selling point for me.
 
# 11 Ghost Of The Year @ 06/28/16 09:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke2011
...... For crying out loud the couch of the Patriots in madden 16 is a dead ringer for my nephew..... Should he sue too?
Yes. But he should sue his parents for making him look like a couch, not EA.
J/K
 
# 12 mrprice33 @ 06/28/16 09:22 PM
I dunno. I think Jim Brown should be paid for his likeness but I also don't think that he should have refused to let his likeness be in the game.
 
# 13 4thQtrStre5S @ 06/28/16 09:23 PM
Jim Brown is a liability to the Browns team, and football in general.
 
# 14 reyes the roof @ 06/28/16 09:46 PM
I'm curious what they spend on the players that they are able to get to agree to have their likeness used. I'm sure it certainly isn't $600k per player
 
# 15 mrprice33 @ 06/28/16 09:54 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by reyes the roof
I'm curious what they spend on the players that they are able to get to agree to have their likeness used. I'm sure it certainly isn't $600k per player


Depends on the player, but that's not how that number was determined.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
# 16 XxKnicksRules215xX @ 06/28/16 10:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dk6663
Jim Browns Net Worth is 50 Million.......Good for him, really ?
Yup good for him, I am not mad at him.
 
# 17 redsox4evur @ 06/28/16 10:19 PM
Good he deserves it according to US Law.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
# 18 CujoMatty @ 06/28/16 10:22 PM
I couldn't care less about EA having to pay. Whatever .
My bigger problem is why did Jim brown not want his likeness in the game in the first place and why would you care at all if they made a generic player like you and put it in a game ? Money grab doesn't make sense if he really is worth 50 million. Just seems kind of a slap in the face to browns fans who would like to play as him . if they portrayed him doing something derogatory OK ya but all they did was make him awesome at football how uptight do you have to be?
 
# 19 reyes the roof @ 06/28/16 10:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrprice33
Depends on the player, but that's not how that number was determined.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How was it determined? I'm not going to pretend I know anything about the law, but I would imagine if he isn't asking for something comparable to what he should get if he were in the game then the lawsuit would be a bit frivolous
 
# 20 kehlis @ 06/28/16 10:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by reyes the roof
How was it determined? I'm not going to pretend I know anything about the law, but I would imagine if he isn't asking for something comparable to what he should get if he were in the game then the lawsuit would be a bit frivolous
It was the settlement amount so it's the amount EA offered him to get him to drop the lawsuit.
 

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