So How Does This William Hill-FanDuel Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Play Out?

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As you may be aware by now, bookmaker William Hill US (WH) filed a lawsuit this week against FanDuel in New Jersey District Court, alleging copyright infringement, specifically for copying the company’s “How to Bet Guide” for its own guide in print and online.

The examples WH gives in its complaint, if true, are pretty damning.

“We are not litigious people but this is ridiculous,” William Hill CEO Joe Asher said in a statement to ESPN. “If the court finds in our favor, a portion of the proceeds will fund scholarships for creative writing programs at New Jersey universities.”

Through conversations with experienced litigators and attorneys with intellectual property experience, below we attempt to answer:

  1. How exactly does the court determine what kind of damages William Hill may have suffered?;
  2. How much money might this cost FanDuel?;
  3. What other motivations William Hill might be have here

Said a FanDuel spokesperson: “As a policy, we don’t comment on pending litigation

 

Read more So How Does This William Hill-FanDuel Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Play Out? on SportsHandle.

DraftKings, FanDuel Victory In Indiana Supreme Court Has Sports Betting Implications

The Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a decision in favor of DraftKings and FanDuel in a case brought by three former collegiate football players, who argued that the daily fantasy sports operators violated the players’ “right of publicity” under Indiana law.

Indiana’s highest court found that the DFS operators (and now sportsbook operators in some states) committed no such violation, because their use of player data, statistics and names falls within an exception to the rule, because that information falls within the meaning of “material that has newsworthy value,” the court writes. It made no difference that DraftKings and FanDuel were using the stats and information commercially — in contests requiring entry fees and awarding cash prizes. 

The court made it clear they were answering only a limited question based on the set of facts presented. That said, the net effect of this ruling, which leaned on precedent from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, may streak into the national conversation about data within the context of legal sports wagering.

 

Read more DraftKings, FanDuel Victory In Indiana Supreme Court Has Sports Betting Implications  on SportsHandle.

How Will Nevada Answer New Questions About Legal Sportsbook Regulation?

The post How Will Nevada Answer New Questions About Legal Sportsbook Regulation? appeared first on SportsHandle.
Last week the Nevada Gaming Control Board posted the following notice:

“The Board recognizes the potential impact the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. NCAA could have on Nevada’s sports wagering industry. In addition, various divisions of the Board are presently reviewing Regulation 22 (Race Book and Sports Pools) to determine which, if any, regulations need changes. As such, the Board would like comments from the industry regarding changes it feels are appropriate for Regulation 22. Please submit your comments no later than August 6, 2018.”

In the past when I would read these type of notices, I would chuckle, knowing most of the time the agency had already decided what they wanted to do and were simply following the state’s requirements to notice the industry. This time though, they might just be listening as to what regulations need to change to accommodate those Nevada bookmakers who are looking to centralize the management of their sportsbook operations, and I sincerely hope they do listen.
Sportsbooks have always been a challenge for regulators – lines made based on opinions; movements made based on recent and expected action and/or changes in team/player information; diverse lines between books – no simple basic math for the reviewing regulators to rely on, so confusing for the inexperienced.
Please click here to read the remainder of the column at Gaming Today.
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