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March 09, 2005

Sports + Technology = IP Battle

Law.com has a very interesting article on several IP issues in sports today. Pro Sports: Technology Changes Rules of the Game explores a number of copyright issues in sporting. Some of the items discussed include: fantasy websites providing player statistics without licensing the information from the owner, websites using gamecasts which may violate copyright laws, and TiVo allowing distribution of NFL games in blacked out areas.

The article cites a sport law guru from Georgia State University, Professor Jack Williams, author of the Cardozo Law Review article, Who Owns the Back of a Baseball Card?/A baseball player's rights in his Performance Statistics.

Another interesting tidbit from the law.com article:

CDM Fantasy Sports, a fantasy sports games operator, filed a lawsuit on Feb. 7 in St. Louis against MLB Advanced Media, baseball's interactive division, aiming to retain the rights to produce and promote fantasy games without having to get a license from MLB. CDM Distribution & Marketing v. MLB Advanced Media, No. 4:05CV 22MLM (E.D. Mo.). At issue: Who owns player statistics?

If you are even slightly interested in sports, you should check out this article. It is the kind of "IP talk" with which people who aren't in the field can identify. Great ammunition for cocktail parties.

Posted by Melody Wirz at 09:18 AM.
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