Did you buy a copy of Madden NFL from its 2006 version forward? You too can be a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Electronic Arts, over its exclusive-rights arrangement with the NFL.
Pecover vs. EA, the federal class-action suit alleging EA's exclusive license with the NFL constitutes an illegal monopoly, is looking for additional plaintiffs to join the fun. In a news release two weeks ago, the firm representing the named plaintiff put out a call for those who bought not only Madden from August, 2005 forward, but also any Arena Football or NCAA football branded game in the span, too.
If any of this applies to you, and you want to join a class action suit, the plaintiff's firm has set up a page where you can give over your information.
But before those cash register sounds go off in your head, let's be real for a minute. While it's true an expert witness for the plaintiff estimated the EA/NFL exclusivity pact may have cost consumers upwards of a billion over its lifespan, think of how many zillion copies of the game have been sold since then. And that's presuming a court looks at this and says the NFL has to make its trademarks and players available to those with enough dough to pay for a reasonable license to them.
If, however, this gets into a settlement phase, then joining the suit will guarantee you your cut of the loot, which would probably be something like a coupon off your next purchase of Madden or something.
The case recently survived a dismissal motion by Electronic Arts. At last mention, this was set to go to trial Sept. 14.
