Manatt Digital and Technology Counsel and Director Matthew Reece spoke with Law360 about several ongoing lawsuits related to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student athletes seeking to protect their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights amid a continuously evolving policy landscape.
Reece noted that there are still several ongoing cases surrounding NIL governance, which continues to change as the Association updates its interim policies. Specifically, he commented on Penn State’s recent trademark infringement suit, just one instance of how other entities—such as conferences, endorsers and businesses—are going to court as they work to protect their own rights in addition to those related to potential athlete partnerships. “The signal is out there that the revenue model, the business model, might end up not being sustainable in its current form, or as valuable,” Reece said.
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