Manchester United sues Football Manager makers over use of name

harms

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Loads of teams use their data. They have more extensive data than just about every club, if not every club in the world. They obviously randomise certain bits in the game for replayability but yeah their actual data is amazing apparently.
Most of the clubs use paid databases like InStat & others, it's not really common to rely on FM.
 

Gasolin

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Really I don't understand this one... how much are we really going to win against a game? Because if FM loses, then a bunch of other clubs are going to try this, and it will become ridiculous.
 

FlawlessThaw

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Probably a sponsors thing. Can't imagine our noodle company liking a brand using our name for free and we need to maintain the value of the name.
 

rcoobc

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This Man Utd lot seem like real waiters

except he didn't say waiters
 

V.O.

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Probably a sponsors thing. Can't imagine our noodle company liking a brand using our name for free and we need to maintain the value of the name.
It'll be Konami. Same reason Juve have a fake name in FM this year as well. Won't make any difference to the majority of people that just use the real names fixes anyway.
 

crossy1686

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Those of you getting your knickers in a right twist about this need to be aware of a few things about FM 2020.

- Juventus are called Zebre.
- The Japan national team doesn't exist. In previous renditions of the game the German and Dutch national team haven't either.
- Bayern have a manager with a fake name.
- None of the German teams have had correct names for years, and I mean years. They use their nicknames.
- None of the Brazilian teams have correct names.
- None of the leagues and cups are named correctly either.

United aren't obviously the only club, or league, to take issue with FM using their name without permission, they just the biggest and most news worthy club to do so. The outrage is comical.
 

diarm

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It's because they saw Juve getting their big deal with Konami and United have thought "we'll have a bit of that".

If enough of us make a fuss about it they'll backtrack.
 

Andersonson

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Sports Interactive havnt been interactive for ages any way. If they lose market share and a new developer starts building a new fresh game it would be lovely.
They're way to slow to push updates on transfers and bug fixes, they're getting gready.

Also, way to many fans base their opinion on players by FM stats and potential. Most scouts FM uses arefootball fans who don't get anything for it. I know one player who was -10 ( best potential rating ) and it was his dad that was the scout. He was talented, but never a premier league talent.

Maybe they will kick on and start focusing on making a great game again and not the same crap they've been doing for years.

My rant is over, and I think United may be a bit childish here, but I like it anyway.
 

Rood

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It's likely to be Konami pushing for this rather than the club as we didn't give a shit about this for years but signed deal with Konami last year
 

prateik

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Using the clubs name for a game, where the draw is to get people to "manage" Manchester United.. That was never going to get a free pass.. surprised it took this long.

We dont have the fixture list on the caf because its a copyright infringement. That is far stupider.

I dont care.. Man Red it is. or pay up.
 

Tom Cato

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Big losses announced yesterday, this today?

Trying to save face in the eyes of the shareholders no doubt.
The losses were expected. The saving face comes when they still pay out shareholder dividends to show financial strength.

This is all about keeping ownership of your intellectual property.

Manchester United is one of the biggest brands in the world. The question that's being raised is wether or not SI has a legal right to profit of their name and resources (ie. players). The club has raised the argument that since the gamemakers don't use the MUFC crest. it deprivers them of licensing rights to their name since the crest is a protected trademark.

Honestly it's actually a interesting topic.

But one that should have been brought up in 2002, not 2020.
 

FlawlessThaw

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It'll be Konami. Same reason Juve have a fake name in FM this year as well. Won't make any difference to the majority of people that just use the real names fixes anyway.
Yeah that makes more sense then myself blaming Nissin.

Fair enough for Konami not wanting another video game company getting something they pay for.
 

Brophs

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I think it's pretty common that when you licence your name etc. like that, the contract will contain various clauses about what you can and can't 'allow' and one of them is that you can't give consent to other parties to use the licensed material/property. And occasionally there'll be a best endeavours clause about vindicating their rights, which might mean they have to attempt to injunct any such uses.
 
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altodevil

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Pathetic move. They stand to gain feck all in relative terms.
 

Brophs

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Ed when he realises we've been winning the lockdown PR war.

 

Van Piorsing

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Next lawsuit about Fifa ratings over the years should be enough to finalise Sancho deal.
 

Maluco

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We really are such a scummy club now. This is pathetic and just trying to grab every penny going. FM won't exist if they suddenly have to liscnse every club. The loser in this is the consumer once again.

But only that, but if this sticks FIFA will literally be the only football game on the market... They get worse each year!
Genuinely hate Fifa and it’s constant focus on Ultimate Team. I just want to have a career with realistic transfers and proper interaction. No money in that though.
 

Cassidy

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Juventus is named Zebre in the game
 

Maagge

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On the face of it this seems like bad PR. Do we usually go out of our way to look bad with regards to PR?
 

charlenefan

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Those of you getting your knickers in a right twist about this need to be aware of a few things about FM 2020.

- Juventus are called Zebre.
- The Japan national team doesn't exist. In previous renditions of the game the German and Dutch national team haven't either.
- Bayern have a manager with a fake name.
- None of the German teams have had correct names for years, and I mean years. They use their nicknames.
- None of the Brazilian teams have correct names.
- None of the leagues and cups are named correctly either.

United aren't obviously the only club, or league, to take issue with FM using their name without permission, they just the biggest and most news worthy club to do so. The outrage is comical.
Shame it took over 40 posts in this thread before someone with common sense spoke
 

spontaneus1

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It's likely to be Konami pushing for this rather than the club as we didn't give a shit about this for years but signed deal with Konami last year
Clearly is Konami, Juventus have a deal with them for PES too, and they had their named changed to Zebre this year on FM.
 

Drifter

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I know sometimes United can be slow. But Football Manager has been using their name since 92.
 

Chipper

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Hope we lose. Mean-spirited litigious shite that paints the club in a bad light.
 

kidbob

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You guys are stupid criticising the club over this. They have clearly heard our concerns and are looking for new finance sources to fund the Sancho deal. When we sign him because of this not one of you will complain about playing FM2021 as Manford Reds while using Jo Dean Sanchez on the RW.
 

Art Vandelay

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Those of you getting your knickers in a right twist about this need to be aware of a few things about FM 2020.

- Juventus are called Zebre.
- The Japan national team doesn't exist. In previous renditions of the game the German and Dutch national team haven't either.
- Bayern have a manager with a fake name.
- None of the German teams have had correct names for years, and I mean years. They use their nicknames.
- None of the Brazilian teams have correct names.
- None of the leagues and cups are named correctly either.

United aren't obviously the only club, or league, to take issue with FM using their name without permission, they just the biggest and most news worthy club to do so. The outrage is comical.
Yeah, it's probably to do with Konami getting the official licence for PES.

Licencing in football games while it can generate money for the club really does not help fans/gamers. Publishers aren't paying so they can have United in their game, they are paying so that no one else can have them in theirs. In the end it limits the choices of gamers. Want real team names/players? Well then you need this fairly shit game. What's that? You want this one specific team? Well they are only in this game, but most of the other teams are not. It's of no real benefit to fans and in the end is detrimental really.
 

Dan_F

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Half-true tbf. Potential is randomised within parameters (ie, someone like Greenwood will be set so his potential ranges between becoming a solid PL player and an all-time great, he's not going to be crap whatever) but again that's about the unpredictability of prospects more than replayability.
Greenwood is a bad example. He is going to be world class in every single save, but I see what you mean.

I’d always assumed that list of leagues at the beginning, on the loading screen, meant they had full licenses for all those leagues.
 

Art Vandelay

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Greenwood is a bad example. He is going to be world class in every single save, but I see what you mean.

I’d always assumed that list of leagues at the beginning, on the loading screen, meant they had full licenses for all those leagues.
I think in some cases it might mean that they can use league/cup names, but then still don't have the rights for some individual clubs.