News and Documents

Oscar Robertson Joins Lawsuit vs. NCAA Over Use of Image, Likeness

January 27, 2011 - USA TODAY, Marlen Garcia

Oscar Robertson, a Hall of Fame basketball player who led Cincinnati to Final Fours in 1959 and 1960, has joined a class-action antitrust lawsuit over the use of his image and likeness from his college days.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2011-01-26-oscar-robertson-ncaa-likeness-lawsuit_N.htm

Oscar Robertson Joins Federal Lawsuit Against NCAA

January 27, 2011 - The Chronicle of Higher Education, Libby Sander

The basketball legend Oscar Robertson has added his name to a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, Electronic Arts, and others, asserting that they licensed and profited from the use of his image without his consent.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/players/oscar-robertson-joins-federal-lawsuit-against-ncaa/28060

Robertson Joins Suit vs. NCAA

January 26, 2011 - Yahoo! Sports , Dan Wetzel

Robertson put his considerable reputation on the line Wednesday and joined a 2009 class action suit against the NCAA, first championed by former UCLA Bruin star Ed O’Bannon, as a name plaintiff.

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=dw-robertson012611

Ed O'Bannon Takes Aim at the NCAA

August 17, 2010 - The Chronicle of Higher Education, Libby Sander

The federal lawsuit, pending in a San Francisco court, is a potential game-changer. O'Bannon claims that the NCAA violates federal antitrust law by barring former college athletes, once their playing days are over, from profiting from NCAA or college-licensed products—video games, classic highlights, and so on—that use their "images and likenesses."

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Ed-OBannon-Takes-Aim-at-th/25737/

Suit Over Likenesses Gains More Names

March 11, 2010 - Associated Press

Former college basketball players spanning many eras have joined a lawsuit filed by ex-UCLA star Ed O'Bannon against the NCAA for profiting from the use of their images without permission. In an amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, four players involved in the 1966 national championship game that pitted a Texas Western team with five black starters against an all-white Kentucky team joined in the suit.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4987029

NCAA Lawsuit Over Player Images Expands its Reach

March 10, 2010 - USA TODAY, Marlen Garcia

Former basketball players from three eras have joined a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and partner Collegiate Licensing Co., over revenue those entities produce by selling players' images and likenesses in video content and other memorabilia.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2010-03-10-ncaa-lawsuit_N.htm

Ex-Players Join Suit vs. N.C.A.A.

March 10, 2010 - The New York Times, Katie Thomas

Eleven former college football and basketball players have joined the former U.C.L.A. basketball star Ed O’Bannon in a class-action lawsuit that argues the N.C.A.A. should compensate former athletes for the use of their images and likenesses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/sports/ncaabasketball/11colleges.html

Lawsuit Against NCAA Could Lead to End of Amateurism

March 10, 2010 - Sports Illustrated, Frank Deford

Today, Ed O'Bannon gets some company in a lawsuit that may conceivably lead to the end of amateurism in big-time college football and basketball. The suit claims that the NCAA should have paid he and his fellow big-time athletes for the use of their likenesses in video games.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/frank_deford/03/10/NCAA-amateurism-lawsuit/

Landmark Case Against NCAA Turning Into College Basketball History Course

March 10, 2010 - The American Lawyer, Zach Lowe

The plaintiffs attorneys at Hausfeld and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro have upped the ante in their landmark class action antitrust suit against the NCAA by adding several new plaintiffs to the action today. The list includes members of four of the most famous college basketball teams ever.

http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2010/03/antitrustncaa.html

Can Ex-UCLA Star O'Bannon Drill This Shot Against NCAA?

February 13, 2010 - Press-Telegram, Tom Hoffarth

If only someone had access to the NCAA's financial statements, could comb through years of its accounting books, and find out how this institution funnels billions of dollars around all in the name of protecting the integrity of intercollegiate athletics. Ed O'Bannon, here's your shot.

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_14399311?source=rss

Ed O'Bannon, NCAA Revolutionary

February 10, 2010 - ESPN, Eamonn Brennan

A district court judge in San Francisco on Monday denied the N.C.A.A.’s motion for dismissal in a class-action lawsuit headed by the former U.C.L.A. basketball star Ed O’Bannon. The ruling leaves the N.C.A.A.’s licensing contracts open to discovery. O’Bannon’s lawyers filed the antitrust suit in July, claiming that former athletes should be compensated for the use of their images and likenesses in television advertisements, video games and on apparel. They said Monday’s ruling was an important first step.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/3637/ed-obannon-ncaa-revolutionary

Former Players To NCAA: You Don't Own Us

February 10, 2010 - Forbes, Tom Van Riper

Debate has raged for a long time on whether big-time college athletes should get paid. But what about former big-time college athletes? If former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon wins in court, one significant change is coming: College athletes may still be shut out of the money while wearing the school colors, but they won't be shut out for life.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/10/ncaa-college-basketball-football-business-sports-ncaa-suit.html?boxes=businesschannelsections

Judge Approves Ex-UCLA Star Ed O'Bannon's Lawsuit Against NCAA

February 09, 2010 - USA TODAY, Marlen Garcia

A U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco has denied the NCAA's motion to dismiss a class-action antitrust lawsuit on behalf of former college men's basketball players suing over the use of their images and likenesses in video content and memorabilia.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2010-02-08-judge-approves-ncaa-suit_N.htm

O’Bannon Case Could Be a Game Changer

February 08, 2010 - Yahoo! Sports, Dan Wetzel

It’s a legal opinion that could have significant impact on the way the business of college athletics is conducted. At the very least, it should make the financial books, contracts and business deals of the NCAA, its conferences and individual schools public, in some cases, for the first time.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=dw-obannon020810&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&print=1

A Lasting Image: Standing Up to the N.C.A.A.

July 22, 2009 - The New York Times, William C. Rhoden

Ed O’Bannon’s last basketball season at U.C.L.A. was in 1995. Fourteen years later, customers can see images of O’Bannon and his teammates on DVDs and selected video games — and O’Bannon isn’t receiving a dime. That may soon change...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/sports/ncaabasketball/23rhoden.html?_r=1

The War Against the Modern-Day Reserve Clause

July 22, 2009 - The Washington Times, Jon Fogg

In every revolution, there comes a moment when there is no going back, when the inexorable march to change overcomes the power of the status quo. The potential protagonist is former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon, the figurehead in a class action lawsuit against the NCAA...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/25/first-down-38120028/

Class-Action Suit Filed vs. NCAA Over Use of Players' Likenesses

July 22, 2009 - USA Today, Marlen Garcia

A class-action antitrust lawsuit on behalf of former college men's basketball and football players was filed at 4:30 p.m. ET Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, seeking unspecified damages from the NCAA and Collegiate Licensing Company for the use of players' images and likenesses in video content, photographs and other memorabilia...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2009-07-21-ncaa-class-action-lawsuit_N.htm

O'Bannon vs. NCAA

July 22, 2009 - ESPN, Kevin Arnovitz

The debate over whether college athletes should have their images used by the NCAA for commercial purposes has been percolating for years. With the emergence of the video game industry, commemorative championship-season DVD and other merch, the NCAA profits greatly from the likeness of amateur athletes...

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-42-109/O-Bannon-vs--NCAA.html

Former UCLA star Ed O'Bannon leads suit against NCAA over
use of images

July 22, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times, Kurt Streeter

Former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon was named Tuesday as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging former college football and basketball players are illegally denied a share of profits made by the NCAA through the sale of television and online reruns, video games, jerseys and other paraphernalia...

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-videogames-lawsuit22-2009jul22,0,6741087.story

Knocking Down the Mountain

July 22, 2009 - SLAM Online, Ryan Jones

I found this story by Pete Thamel about Ed O’Bannon suing the NCAA. It’s a great story. Do you know why? It’s a great story because it’s about the NCAA having to defend its greed and hypocrisy in court. As the elements of great stories go, this one is can’t-miss...

http://www.slamonline.com/online/blogs/farmer-jones/2009/07/knocking-down-the-mountain/

O'Bannon files suit vs. NCAA

July 22, 2009 - The Washington Times, Tim Lemke

Former UCLA basketball standout Ed O'Bannon has filed a class action lawsuit seeking to stop the NCAA from licensing the images and likenesses of former college athletes in DVDs, photographs and other products. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, says the NCAA has improperly benefited from using former Division I football and basketball players' images even after they stopped playing and seeks an injunction to stop the practice...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/22/obannon-files-suit-vs-ncaa/

Making NCAA Pay?

July 21, 2009 - Yahoo Sports, Dan Wetzel

Last winter, Ed O’Bannon discovered that a couple of kids down the street didn’t just know the star of the 1995 UCLA national championship team as a friend of their dad, a really tall neighbor or even as a guy who shows up on ESPN Classic every once in a while. They knew O’Bannon – his tendencies, his number 31, even the mechanics of his lefty jump shot – from playing a video game that featured classic college teams...

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=dw-ncaasuit072109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

N.C.A.A. Sued Over Licensing Practices

July 21, 2009 - The New York Times, Pete Thamel

Lawyers for the former U.C.L.A. basketball star Ed O’Bannon filed a class-action lawsuit against the N.C.A.A. on Tuesday, claiming former athletes should be compensated for the use of their images and likenesses in television advertisements, video games and apparel...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/sports/ncaabasketball/22ncaa.html

NCAA Faces Unspecified Damages, Changes in Latest Anti-trust Case

July 21, 2009 - Sports Illustrated, Michael McCann

Should athletes whose college days are long behind them be paid when the NCAA licenses their images and likenesses? Should they be able to negotiate their own licensing deals with television networks, video game companies and various businesses that use those same images and likenesses?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/michael_mccann/07/21/ncaa/index.html

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