‘Madden’ Video Game Maker Settles Ex-NFL Players’ Lawsuit (1)

‘Madden’ video game-maker Electronic Arts Inc. has settled a right-of-publicity lawsuit by nearly 6,000 former National Football League players, a federal district judge said.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California “has been informed” that the parties settled, Judge Richard Seeborg said in a March 28 filing. The apparent agreement came months ahead of trial after the court repeatedly rejected EA’s defenses for unlicensed use of the players’ likenesses.

The video game company had licensed current players’ image from the NFL Players Association, but “historic teams” rosters in the game featured retired players not covered in the ...