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Copyright Act Preempts Players' Publicity Rights for NFL Films

Twenty-three professional football players brought a class action lawsuit against the NFL, claiming that films produced by NFL Films violated their state rights of publicity and constituted false endorsement under '43(a) of the Lanham Act. Twenty of those players settled with the NFL. However, the other three players elected to pursue their suit.

6 minute readApril 01, 2016 at 12:00 AM
By
Judith L. Grubner
Copyright Act Preempts Players' Publicity Rights for NFL Films

Twenty-three professional football players brought a class action lawsuit against the National Football League (NFL), claiming that films produced by NFL Films violated their state rights of publicity and constituted false endorsement under '43(a) of the Lanham Act.

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