Former NBA Player Sues EA Over Likeness In Video Game

Retired American professional basketball player and coach Bill Russell has filed a lawsuit against Electronic Arts and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, for using his likeness without his consent. The former Boston Celtics coach and player alleges that EA used his image in a 'Tournament of Legends' feature as part of one of its NCAA basketball video games without asking him, and without paying him, reports business website Bloomberg. Russell is looking to block further sales of the video games, and receive profits from the previous sales, along with unspecified damages. Last month, EA won a dismissal on a similar case, in which Rutgers University quarterback Ryan Hart had alleged the company didn't have the legal right to use his likeness in its NCAA Football titles. U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson accepted EA's arguments that its First Amendment right to free expression overruled the privacy rights of Hart and other NCAA players to protect use of their name and likeness.