A class-action lawsuit was brought against EA by former college athletes who claim that EA have reproduced their likeness without consent or compensation. While the case is a few years old now, the judge has let it be known that if EA have violated the law, there could be huge repercussions.
USAToday got their calculators out and figured that the damages could reach $1 billion dollars on a $1000 dollars per likeness scale.
Just to get this in perspective, one billion dollars is a quarter of EA’s annual income.
EA is claiming the First Amendment, otherwise known as ‘The Universal Right To Do What I Please” or ‘The Biggest Cop-Out In The History Of Justice”.
EA seem to be playing it cool though; spokesman Jeff Brown saying that:
“We could lose billions more if a giant meteor hits the earth. We’re not planning for either outcome.”
Jeff fails to mention you also die if earth gets hit by a giant meteor, but I guess that’s why he’s the spin-doctor for a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Thanks to Destructoid.
