Sega Faces Lawsuit From Manchester United

Manchester United has filed a lawsuit against publisher Sega and developer SI Games claiming trademark infringement in the Football Manager series. The suit includes use of the football club's trademarked name, and improper use of an unofficial Manchester United logo.

 

According to the Guardian, Manchester United states that SI Games replaced their club crest with “a simplified red and white striped logo”, and that this “deprives the registered proprietor of its right to have the club crest licensed.”

Additionally, Manchester United’s lawyers argued that Football Manager’s patches and mods allowed players to further depict the logo without proper licensing.

Sega and SI Games countered that the Manchester United name has been used within Football Manager and its predecessor Championship Manager for over 18 years. Their lawyers argued that use of the Manchester United name and logo was within their rights to freedom of expression. Finally, many officials and players from United have had a positive relationship with SI Games, including requests to access Football Manger’s database for research.  

Preliminary hearings were conducted on May 22, and further developments to the claim will occur at a currently undecided date. 
 

Kurtis Seid, NoobFeed
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