NFL’s Goodell Says Mea Culpa for Super Bowl Seating Problems

A taped deposition of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was played for jurors at the Super Bowl XLV seating trial. In the recording, Goodell blamed the league, not the Dallas Cowboys, for the fiasco that left over 400 ticket holders without seats at all while other affected ticket holders had seats with restricted views.

When asked whether the Cowboys and owner should be held responsible for the seating problem, Goodell responded,

“I’m not blaming others. I’m blaming ourselves. I’m accepting responsibility. It is

March 5, 2015 Litigation / NFL

Super Bowl Seating Trial Underway; Angry Fans Claim NFL Greedy

On Monday, March 2, a jury was selected and the trial finally began in the 2011 Super Bowl seating snafu lawsuit that was brought by eight plaintiffs seeking damages for their unsatisfactory experience at the game

In 2011, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl held in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington Texas. Some ticket holding patrons, however, missed it. The eight plaintiffs in this lawsuit, in addition to 200 other plaintiffs in a second pending lawsuit, are suing …

February 4, 2014 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark

They Just Wanted to do the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle,’ but now Former Bears are Heading to Court, Looking for Trouble…

On January 31, six members of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears filed a lawsuit to prevent current license holders Julia Meyer and the Renaissance Marketing Corporation from using the “Super Bowl Shuffle” music video for personal financial gain. The video, which was created by the team three months prior to the Bears’ victory in Super Bowl XX, was an instant success, earning a gold record, a platinum video award, and even a Grammy nomination.

The ex-Chicago bears who brought the suit –Richard Dent, …

January 7, 2014 Litigation / NFL

Fan Brings Class Action Suit Against NFL Over Super Bowl Ticket Price

NFL fans know they are going to have to shell out big bucks if they want to go to the Super Bowl. At the time this was written, tickets were priced at a minimum of $2,500 on ticket resale websites. Despite getting a “deal” and only paying $2,000 a piece for his tickets, Josh Finkelman filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL in a New Jersey federal court on January 6th, 2014.

Finkelman alleges the NFL violated New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act by limiting …

January 25, 2013 NFL / Trademark

NFL’s Squeeze Play Forces “Harbowl” Trademark Owner to Forfeit Rights

Last year Roy Fox got to thinking – what if NFL Head Coaches and brothers Jim Harbaugh (San Francisco 49ers) and John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens) ended up facing each other in the Super Bowl? With that thought in mind, Fox went out and spent over $1,000 to file trademark applications for the terms “Harbowl” and “Harbaugh Bowl.” The NFL was not pleased by Fox’s play. Shortly before the 2012-2013 season began, the League contacted Fox with concerns that his trademarks could become confused with the …