Dive Brief:
- A U.S. District Court judge has cleared the 5-year-old anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA by a former UCLA basketball player to go to trial June 9.
- The judge, Claudia Wilken, also separated the anti-trust case from a lawsuit about college-themed video games, which is slated for a March 2015 trial, USA Today reported.
- However, Wilken also made a ruling that will likely allow the anti-trust case to use evidence and witnesses related to video game manufacturer Electronic Arts and the Collegiate Licensing Co. trademark licensing and marketing firm.
Dive Insight:
The anti-trust case, filed on behalf of former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon, focuses on the use of college athletes' names and likenesses. The plaintiffs are asking the court to stop the NCAA from limiting what football and basketball players from major programs can earn from playing or from the use of their names and likenesses on TV and in video games. The issue was brought to light recently when one of the stars for the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team said during a post-game interview, after winning the NCAA national championship, that he sometimes didn’t have enough money to pay for food.
