Goodbye fantasy baseball?

[Oggiedoggie]

Attorneys representing Major League Baseball argued Thursday that online fantasy baseball companies cannot operate without paying license fees to MLB to compensate players for the use of their names.

A federal appeals panel of three judges seemed skeptical that MLB could take financial control of a game that uses publicly available statistics and widely known names of players.

"MLB is like a public religion. Everyone knows (the players') names and what they look like," said U.S. Judge Morris Arnold. "This is just part of being an American, isn't it?"


From: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8POOORO1.htm

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

I don't play fantasy baseball, but stories like this make me angry.

To me, it's in the same vein as yesterday's announcement that At&T will spy on its Internet users to see if they are downloading copyrighted material.

This is really starting to become a really ****ty country.

 

[outofplace]

This battle has been going on for a while. A number of online fantasy baseball sites went out of business in the initial push.

The worst that will likely happen is the end of free services like Yahoo and higher rates for the ones that choose to stay in business. The game won't go away, but it will get more expensive if MLB gets its way.

If they are dumb enough to wipe these companies out altogether, they are just going to hurt interest in the game.

 

[MertWindu]

Attorneys representing Major League Baseball argued Thursday that online fantasy baseball companies cannot operate without paying license fees to MLB to compensate players for the use of their names.

A federal appeals panel of three judges seemed skeptical that MLB could take financial control of a game that uses publicly available statistics and widely known names of players.

"MLB is like a public religion. Everyone knows (the players') names and what they look like," said U.S. Judge Morris Arnold. "This is just part of being an American, isn't it?"


From: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8POOORO1.htm

Wow, they're really going to bark up this tree again?

 

[Flying Headbutt]

MLB has seemingly tried this for years and won't get anywhere. **** Bud Light.

 

[outofplace]

Attorneys representing Major League Baseball argued Thursday that online fantasy baseball companies cannot operate without paying license fees to MLB to compensate players for the use of their names.

A federal appeals panel of three judges seemed skeptical that MLB could take financial control of a game that uses publicly available statistics and widely known names of players.

"MLB is like a public religion. Everyone knows (the players') names and what they look like," said U.S. Judge Morris Arnold. "This is just part of being an American, isn't it?"


From: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8POOORO1.htm

Wow, they're really going to bark up this tree again?

It never stopped, Mert....the process just takes a while. I'm amazed that the NFL hasn't done this, too.

 

[bigpern23]

MLB has seemingly tried this for years and won't get anywhere. **** Bud Light.

I think this actually has to do more with the MLBPA than the used car salesman.

That said, I don't understand how they can limit the use of these players names considering how widely they are embedded in the public domain. Perhaps they can keep the fantasy companies from using their images, or using their names and images in advertisements, but really, their names are so widely disseminated as it is, I don't think they should be able to stop it.

 

[mike311gd]

I've been playing fantasy baseball since I was a sophomore in high school (1998). I don't remember a baseball season where I haven't been in at least one league.

I think, if anything, the game draws in more fans because of it. How many borderline fans are going to sit and watch a three-hour game for pure enjoyment and the art of the sport? Now how many of those borderline fans are going to tune into a Red Sox game to track David Ortiz or Curt Schilling?

 

[Oz]

It never stopped, Mert....the process just takes a while. I'm amazed that the NFL hasn't done this, too.

Unlike MLB, the NFL never seems to anger its own fans with actions like this.

 

[playthrough]

Why MLB would screw with fantasy for a few lousy licensing bucks is beyond me. Absolutely, fantasy is good for the sport. And any other sport.

Yet I wouldn't shed a tear over online sites getting whacked. The last time I was in a fantasy league was when a league commish actually had spreadsheets and had to input weekly stat updates into a computer (I know, I know, the Stone Age). Players had to get together in person to draft (and drink) rather than do auto-drafts online. So much more personable and fun.

 

[outofplace]

It never stopped, Mert....the process just takes a while. I'm amazed that the NFL hasn't done this, too.

Unlike MLB, the NFL never seems to anger its own fans with actions like this.

True...it is the teams that do assinine **** like this, such as selling personal seat liscenses and charging to watch scrimmages and practices in preseason.

And playthrough, as somebody who is in three leagues with online drafts...I'm so glad you would be happy if so many of the rest of us lost something we would enjoy. ::)

I've been with basically the same group of people in one league or another for eight years. Half of us are within about 45 minutes of one another. The other half is scattered about the country. I know it would be a big loss for us if there were no online sites available.

And somewhere, spnited is reading this thread title and praying that it would be so. :)

 

[zeke12]

I really don't see how they have a case.

The sites merely compile public information.

 

[friend of a friend]

Just when you think MLB can't do anything to else to hurt the game, they do something like this.

 

[slappy4428]

To me, it's in the same vein as yesterday's announcement that At&T will spy on its Internet users to see if they are downloading copyrighted material.

I'm afraid I missed that one... whaddup?

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

Here's a take on the AT&T deal.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=366

 

[cranberry]

It never stopped, Mert....the process just takes a while. I'm amazed that the NFL hasn't done this, too.

Unlike MLB, the NFL never seems to anger its own fans with actions like this.

NFL Ventures filed an Amicus brief in support of baseball's position, as did NBA Properties Inc., NHL Enterprises, L.P., National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), PGA Tour, Inc., WNBA Enterprises, LLC, NFL Players Association, and the International Licensing Merchandisers' Association Inc.

 

[slappy4428]

nuts... just when I was thinking of ATT because Charter's internet has to improve to suck right now...

 

[cranberry]

I really don't see how they have a case.

The sites merely compile public information.

Actually, there are plenty of IP lawyers around who believe the lower court ruling was ridiculous and believe it should and will be overturned...Some of them voice opinions on this thread:


http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/the_biz_of_baseball_brown_oral_arguments_in_fantasy_stats_appeal_tomorrow/

 

[shotglass]

My baseball league is a Yahoo league here; my footbal league is run by me with software. The football league is run as well, with features just as good as the baseball league.

In other words, I don't need one of the big fantasy conglomerates to stage the game with me. Neither do you. We can play fantasy the rest of our lives if we want, and there isn't one damned thing they're gonna do about it.

 

[zeke12]

I read some of that stuff, but I still don't see it, cranberry.

In the end you still end up with names and facts that are in the public domain already. Unless a court wants to swing all the way to the other side and say that MLB has exclusive rights to this data, I don't think much of this case.

But, then again, I'm not a lawyer or a judge.