A federal judge approved a $60 million settlement for college athletes in a class-action lawsuit filed against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) and video game developer Electronic Arts (EA), according to The Associated Press.
Steve Berman, the attorney representing the complainants, said Friday that Claudia Wilken, a U.S. district court judge, had OK'd the settlement at a hearing, which took place on Thursday. Wilken also ruled against the NCAA over the organization's exploitative use of the names, images and likenesses of college athletes in video games without offering them any compensation. The association has appealed the judge's decision.
The plaintiffs filed legal papers against the N.C.A.A. and EA for illegally using the names and likenesses of college football and basketball players in video games for several years. Players who have been featured in the EA's video games have until July 31 to make a claim for a portion of the settlement.
At present, the maximum compensation a player could receive from the settlement is approximately $7,200 and more than 20,000 claims have already been made, according to Berman. The exact payout for each player is determined by a number of aspects, including the year and whether their name, photograph, or jersey has appeared in the game, according to CBS Sports.
"This landmark decision marks the first time student-athletes will be paid for the likeness or image, and stands as a huge victory in the ongoing fight for student-athletes' rights," Berman said, The Associated Press reported.
The lawsuit began in 2009 when former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon challenged the NCAA's policy that paying students compensation would be a violation of its concept of amateurism in sports, according to Digital Trends.
NCAA series video games were discontinued in 2013 due to pending legal cases against the association over its use of athletes' names, images and likenesses.
