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Manchester United are suing Football Manager developers over use of their nameTake it to the pitch
Take it to the pitch
As big sports organisations are wont to do, Manchester United are getting touchy about the use of their name. The English Premier League have filed a complaint against Sega and Sports Interactive for the use of the team’s name in theFootball Managerseries. They take issue with how the series may “benefit from an association with the club’s winning culture and its brand values” without actually forking over cash to licence the team’s crest.
I’ve no doubt that mods replicating MU’s crest exist. Mod communities for all sorts of games contain lifted brand marks. I don’t believe I’ve seen any developer actively promote user-made mods that infringe on copyright claims though. It would be a pretty foolish move for, well, these exact reasons. Perhaps EPL are using a special legal definition for “promoting” that’s above my ken.
As a last tidbit, Sega adds that “the claimant’s staff working in the data analytics and scouting teams have contacted SI on various occasions asking for access to the Football Manager database for scouting and research purposes,” which is quite a clap back.
Ta,The Guardian.
