More and more licences for FIFA are lost for the publisher EA Sports. The current debate is about the trademark rights of Maradona.
EA Sports is currently having big problems with their football simulation. Having already lost licences in previous years, they probably won’t even be able to keep the FIFA name in the future. But the next licence dispute is not long in coming. The new chapter is called: Diego Maradona.
Court ruling: EA Sports must take Maradona’s name out of the game
In order for EA Sports to integrate players’ cards into FIFA 22 Ultimate Team, the publisher must enter into licensing agreements. In most cases, FIFPRO is representative of most players:in. For those who are no longer active (FUT Heroes or FUT Icons), separate negotiations must be made.
In the case of Diego Maradona, Stéfano Ceci, the former manager and long-time friend of Maradona, who died on 25 November 2020, led the negotiations with EA Sports. A court in Argentina has taken a closer look at the case, according to the news site (infobae.com). According to the court, Ceci had only held negotiating rights until 1 February 2021 and therefore did not have the authority to decide whether “The Hand of God” could be implemented in the FIFA 22 game.
The Argentine court ruled that EA Sports must immediately remove any content that infringes Diego Maradona’s image and naming rights from their products.
Court awards rights to lawyer Matías Morla
Attorney Matías Morla handled all of Diego Maradona’s affairs since his death. After manager Ceci was denied the rights to the Maradona trademark, they subsequently passed to the lawyer, a small part of the “Diego Maradona legacy”.
It is unclear at the moment if and when EA Sports will remove Diego Maradona’s iconic cards from the game or if the publisher will renegotiate with Matás Morla.
We have asked EA Sports for a statement and will keep you updated on this matter.
