EA finally getting sued over NFL exclusivity (joystiq)

[diskoboy]

And I'll be the first to say, it's about damn time. But it may be a case of 'too little, too late". Doesn't the exclusivity end in 2010?

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/12/ea...l-exclusivity/

[joedick]

I'm not sure I understand what's illegal about it. Look at movies: one company comes in, licenses the property, and exclusively makes games. That's what EA and the NFL are doing, and I don't see why they can't.

Yes, it would be better for all of us if anybody could get the license, but I don't think they're doing anything shady.

[diskoboy]

I'm not sure I understand what's illegal about it. Look at movies: one company comes in, licenses the property, and exclusively makes games. That's what EA and the NFL are doing, and I don't see why they can't.

Yes, it would be better for all of us if anybody could get the license, but I don't think they're doing anything shady.

2k was making good football games, and selling them at $29 new. EA had to drop the price of Madden 2005 to compete with NFL 2k5 (which was the superior football sim, that year). So instead of wanting to compete with 2k Games (which was just still a much smaller company in 2005), EA just decided to buy them out of the market by monopolizing the NFL license, so they could go back to selling Madden at $60, new.

It the monopoly thats illegal. Thats why the NBA wouldn't do it, when EA approached them. And that's why 2k games is being generous with the MLB license - by letting Sony continue making their MLB games.

[Poofta!]

2k was making good football games, and selling them at $29 new. EA had to drop the price of Madden 2005 to compete with NFL 2k5 (which was the superior football sim, that year). So instead of wanting to compete with 2k Games (which was just still a much smaller company in 2005), EA just decided to buy them out of the market by monopolizing the NFL license, so they could go back to selling Madden at $60, new.

none of this is relevant to the issue at hand: the law. they are doing nothing illegal.


it is not a monopoly, monopolies are over markets, commodities and services. you cannot monopolize intellectual property, the whole point of IP is that only one person owns it. if NFL (or anyone) wants one a certain company to make games for them (or make no games at all) then that is whatll happen.

you might as well sue nintendo for monopolizing mario games.

your opinion on how EA dictates business is noted (and irrelevant) but it doesnt have anything to do with the law. EA isnt doing anything wrong. stop being a troll. (btw, i hate EA more than most as i was a fan of all teh great franchises and companies they destroyed in hte 90s)

[ssjlance]

Technically, what they're doing isn't against any laws, as far as I'm aware. However, screw EA and the NFL anyways.

[Xizer]

Hmm let's see, three useless things... EA, football, the NFL...

Why should I give a shit, again?

[TonyTheTiger]

Seriously. This is totally frivolous. Poofta! has it right. Sue Nintendo for monopolizing Mario. Sue Activision for monopolizing games based on Marvel comics. Sue Sony Pictures for monopolizing Spider-Man movies.

What's funny is that this is even lesser than those because EA does not have control of football itself. Anyone can make a football game. They just won't have the NFL or NFLPA license. Konami did it with International Superstar Soccer. They made a good soccer game without the real players and managed to sell it pretty well. Besides, it was the NFL that initiated the exclusivity deal.

What I always find so amusing is that for some reason there are two separate "social rule sets" used by the general gaming public. There's the rule set developers/publishers are held to. Then there's the rule set EA is held to. And for some reason when "Publisher A" does something that everyone is satisfied with, if EA does the exact same thing the rules change. You can hate EA for ruining Westwood, Bullfrog, Maxis (to a point), etc. But the double standard being levied against EA to this day (when the company has shown improvement no less) is flat out foolish. Who sued Capcom back when they had the exclusive Marvel license and were making all those fighting games?

[emceelokey]

I don't know where anything illegal would be. The NFL is essentially lending their logo to EA so they can make a game. There was nothing that said no company can't make a football game but they just can't use the NFL and everything that the NFL holds the rights to.