MLB players' union affiliate reaches licensing agreement with FanDuel following voluntary lawsuit dismissal

A commercial affiliate of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) has reached a licensing agreement with sports betting giant FanDuel after agreeing to dismiss a lawsuit against the company. 

MLB Players on Tuesday said that it has signed a non-exclusive product and marketing licensing agreement for FanDuel Sportsbook along with OneTeam Partners, a union commercial partner.

MLB Players had previously sued FanDuel and Underdog Sports in the New York Supreme Court on September 16th, alleging improper use of names, images, and likenesses. The case was moved to US District Court in Manhattan on October 18th.

MLB and FanDuel subsequently filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with the court on November 19th that was approved by US District Judge Ronnie Abrams. However, the suit against Underdog remains pending.

“This license builds on our existing agreements in this new category of revenue,” Union Head Tony Clark said in a statement. A separate suit filed September 16th against DraftKings and Bet365  is pending in federal court in Philadelphia.

In its lawsuits, the association claimed the companies used images of nearly every active MLB player on their websites and mobile apps without permission. "For professional athletes, the ability to control the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses is a crucial return on their substantial career investment," the players said in the complaints.