EA Sports has reached a proposed settlement of $27 million with the
plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit that claimed the company’s
exclusive licensing agreements “monopolized an alleged market for
interactive football software,” ending more than four years of
litigation in the federal courts.
The agreement in Pecover v. Electronic Arts only concerns the
publisher’s licenses for NCAA Football and Arena Football titles; it
does not affect EA’s lucrative exclusive contract for Madden games.
EA Sports will establish the $27 million settlement fund, which
entitles the class-action participants — anyone who purchased a Madden,
NCAA Football, or Arena Football title for consoles or PCs between
January 1st, 2005 and June 21st, 2012 — to a modest sum: up to $6.79 per
copy purchased on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, or PC, and up to $1.95
per copy purchased on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or Wii. If payouts do
not exhaust the settlement fund, the remainder will be donated to
Child’s Play.
