PUBLICITY RIGHTS NEWS:

MLB sues DraftKings in Pennsylvania for misappropriation of baseball player images, (Sep 17, 2024)

MLB於賓夕法尼亞就DraftKings挪用棒球員之圖像提起訴訟

The complaint alleges that the two big sportsbook sites have used baseball players images to sell their offerings and drive revenue without permission from MLB.

該訴訟主張兩大體育博弈網站未得大聯盟同意利用棒球員圖像來販售其服務以增加其收益。

Major League Baseball has sued DraftKings and U.K.-based bet365 in Pennsylvania federal court, alleging that the two sportsbooks have illegally used the likenesses of hundreds of MLB players on their apps and websites and in their advertising without permission in violation of Pennsylvania law. The complaint points out that, while the two sportsbooks offer betting across a wide array of sports, player images are used only for baseball bets (MLB Players Inc. v. DraftKings, Inc., No. 2:24-cv-04884-KSM (E.D. Pa. Sept. 16, 2024)).

大聯盟於賓夕法尼亞州聯邦法院對DraftKings及總公司在英國的bet365提起訴訟，主張這兩個體育博弈公司未經大聯盟同意於其手機應用程式與網站違法利用數百位大聯盟球員酷似樣貌來促銷，此舉違反賓夕法尼亞州的法律。

DraftKings was founded in 2012 to provide daily and weekly fantasy sports in the U.S., while Bet365 is an online gambling company based in the United Kingdom that has offered sports betting outside the U.S. since 2001. Both moved into legalized sports betting in 2018 or soon thereafter, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018), which allowed states to legalize sports betting, and which rapidly ushered in the new industry. Currently, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized sport betting, with legislation currently pending in two more states. Pennsylvania legalized online sports betting in 2019 and has no restrictions on betting types. Since Murphy was decided, an estimated $220 billion has been spent on sports betting in the U.S., according to the complaint.

DraftKings成立於2012年，該公司提供每日及每週夢幻體育博弈；Bet365則是位在英國的線上博弈公司，其於2001年始提供美國以外運動賽事博弈。在最高法院Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018)案，判決州有權開放合法運動賽事博弈，上開兩者於2018年或不久後成為合法體育賽事博弈公司。目前有38州加上哥倫比亞特區可為合法運動博弈，目前尚有兩州以上欲立博弈法案而遲滯。賓夕法尼亞州2019年開放線上博弈且無對博弈類型作限制。訴訟中稱自從Murphy案判決以來，在美國估計在賽事博弈花了2,220億美元。