It appears a resolution is on the horizon for the ongoing legal fight between the Major League Baseball union groups and DraftKings. The issue stems from DraftKings using the likenesses and images of MLB players without permission in its app.
Originally in the hands of the MLB Players Association (MLBPA), the matter appears to now be handled by MLB Players Inc.. This is the for-profit arm of the union group, and in a letter to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the group said it was “close to reaching a resolution.”
The lawsuit essentially wants to ensure that apps like DraftKings are providing revenue to the MLB. As the players or league don’t have a contract to use their likenesses, it’s up to the union to secure that side of the business.
DraftKings is in court quite a bit these days
Other apps were sued in September, including DraftKings rival FanDuel. However, FanDuel settled in November 2024, with a new deal between the league and the gambling company to use the images.
Rather than settling, however, DraftKings continued to fight it in court. In May, the judge involved with the case sided with the union, and in March, before it, the judge again shut down the appeal.
There’s now a 30-day countdown, as the two parties will need to come to an agreement or end up back in court. This would be to sort out fact discovery.
DraftKings has been involved in many court cases in the last few months. In May, it was hit with a class action lawsuit over its marketing tactics. An extortion lawsuit hit courts in March, while another entity sued over its “micro-betting” core product. Connecticut customers also received a $3 million refund after it was found to be in breach of its advertising laws.
However, it has recently launched better tools to counter gambling addiction.
