Major League Baseball’s players union resolved a lawsuit accusing sports betting giant FanDuel of improperly using the names and likenesses of hundreds of MLB players on its betting platform without authorization.
On Friday, a FanDuel spokesperson announced that the company and the union had finalized a confidential licensing agreement.
In a New York federal court filing, the players confirmed they had agreed to dismiss their claims with prejudice, permanently preventing them from refiling the lawsuit.
Neither spokespeople nor attorneys for the union immediately provided additional details or comments on the settlement.
The union had previously raised similar concerns, filing lawsuits in September that accused companies of “flagrantly” violating the rights of nearly all active MLB players by using their names, images, and likenesses without securing a proper license. “For professional athletes, controlling the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses is a vital aspect of their career investments,” the players stated.
FanDuel did not formally address the allegations in court.
Separately, the National Football League’s players union filed an ongoing lawsuit against DraftKings in August, accusing the company of misusing NFL player likenesses in non-fungible tokens.
