EA Sports Football Lawsuit

[hepcat]

Anyone else get this email about a class action lawsuit against EA sports? It's basically some customers suing them because they are a monopoly in the football video game market after they bought out ESPN/2k series.

GEOFFREY PECOVER and ANDREW OWENS v. ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.

U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal. - Oakland Div.)

Case No. 08-cv-02820 CW

If You Purchased Certain Electronic Arts Brand Football Video Games

Between January 1, 2005 to the Present

You May Be a Class Member.

Membership as a class member in the Electronic Arts Litigation is the result of a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Oakland Division (Case No. 08-cv-02820 CW).

What Is This Class Action About?

The class action lawsuit alleges violations of California's antitrust and consumer protection laws in connection with the sale of certain football video games. Plaintiffs, purchasers of Electronic Arts' football video games, claim that Defendant Electronic Arts entered into a series of exclusive licenses with the National Football League (NFL), National Football League Players' Association (NFLPA), National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and Arena Football League (AFL), which Plaintiffs claim foreclosed competition in an alleged football video game market. Plaintiffs allege that this series of exclusive licenses caused customers who purchased certain football video games to be overcharged.

Defendant Electronic Arts has denied any liability and all allegations of misconduct. The Court has not decided whether the Defendants did anything wrong, and this Notice is not an expression of any opinion by the Court about the merits of any of the claims or defenses asserted by any party to this litigation.

Who Are Class Members?

The Class includes all persons who, during the period January 1, 2005 to the present, purchased the Madden NFL, NCAA Football, or Arena Football League brand video games published by Electronic Arts with a release date of January 1, 2005 to the present. Excluded from the class are purchasers of software for mobile devices, persons purchasing directly from Electronic Arts, persons purchasing used copies of the relevant football video games, and Electronic Arts' employees, officers, directors, legal representatives, and wholly or partly owned subsidiaries or affiliated companies.

What Should I Do? (Getting Further Information)

If you believe that you may be a class member (see above "Who Are Class Members"), you should get more detailed information about the class action and its potential effect on you and your rights. Further information can be obtained by going to the following website: www.easportslitigation.com. Additional information about the lawsuit may be obtained from Plaintiffs' Counsel website at www.hbsslaw.com, or by calling Plaintiffs' Counsel at 1-206-623-7292.

To Remain a Class Member

If you are a class member and you do nothing, you will be bound by the court's rulings in the lawsuit, including any final Settlement or Judgment.

To Exclude Yourself from the Class

(Deadline to Request Exclusion: June 25, 2011)

If you are a class member and you want to exclude yourself from the class and keep your right to sue Defendant, you must take further action before June 25, 2011. By that date, you must request exclusion in writing to this address:

Electronic Arts Litigation Exclusion

P.O. Box 8090

San Rafael CA 94912-8090

Or submit a request for exclusion electronically at the following website: www.easportslitigation.com

For further information about excluding yourself from the class go to the following website:

www.easportslitigation.com

Please do not telephone or address inquiries to the Court.

April 6, 2011. By Order of the U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal. - Oakland Div.).

[Mvp2014]

I think its only a monopoly if you change pricing depending on trends and competition, im sure im wrong though

[SOJA]

yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kettle]

i got it just now

[TerriblePizza]

I got it too. I'm going to opt out.

[theyhateme45]

I got it also, but it does not matter... this is a losing case. Other developers have made Football games... Just not with NFL player names...

[c0r]

just got my email. cant wait to get my $$

[YoungPanthers89]

hope they win. i would like to see another football game

[rodeo]

I fail to see why the NFL doesn't have the right to sell their rights to whatever company they want or don't want.

Do movie studios get sued when they buy exclusive rights to books?

[c0r]

I fail to see why the NFL doesn't have the right to sell their rights to whatever company they want or don't want.

Do movie studios get sued when they buy exclusive rights to books?

the NFL does, doesnt it??

[C47]

The NFL did have the rights to sell their name to any developer. They CHOSE to sell to EA and offered the exclusive rights contract. The NFL is the one that took 2K Sports out not EA. If the customers want to sue someone for creating a monopoly they should sue the NFL for agreeing to an exclusive rights agreement not EA for doing what is best for their business. This suit is a joke and will amount to nothing in court, NFL2K is dead everyone just needs to move on and either....

A. Play a Madden game that has been making significant improvements the last three years, as well as an NCAA game that was extremely solid last year

or

B. Curl up in the fetal position and cry about EA being a bully and stealing your 2K Football

[c0r]

A. Play a Madden game that has been making significant improvements the last three years' date=' as well as an NCAA game that was extremely solid last year[/quote']

lol ok bro.

madden sucks and im not a 2k fanboy. madden 2005 and 2006 were the best sports games i ever played. i probably played well over 100 hours of each.

ever since the exclusive rights and the jump to next gen consoles, the madden series has blown. skipped it altogether last year for the first time since madden 99.

[SOJA]

The NFL did have the rights to sell their name to any developer. They CHOSE to sell to EA and offered the exclusive rights contract. The NFL is the one that took 2K Sports out not EA. If the customers want to sue someone for creating a monopoly they should sue the NFL for agreeing to an exclusive rights agreement not EA for doing what is best for their business. This suit is a joke and will amount to nothing in court, NFL2K is dead everyone just needs to move on and either....

A. Play a Madden game that has been making significant improvements the last three years, as well as an NCAA game that was extremely solid last year

or

B. Curl up in the fetal position and cry about EA being a bully and stealing your 2K Football

option b option b!!!!!!!1111

!!!

[bredy087]

Just bring back N64 NFL Blitz and everybody will be happy.