EA’s Tussle With FIFA Could Mean the Departure of a Legendary Player From FIFA 22 Due to Trademark Issues

Electronic Arts’ scuffle with FIFA is getting heated with every passing day. And now, this could mean the departure of a legendary player from FIFA 22 because of some trademark issue.

EA may have to remove legendary Diego Maradona from the game due to a ruling by the Argentina court. Notably, Maradona is available in most of the FIDA franchise games, including the recent one, FIFA 2022. So this development can directly affect Electronic Arts and ultimately they might have to remove the iconic player.

Will the legend of football leave FIFA 22?

Diego Armando Maradona was one of the legends of football, mainly known for his skills and achievements with the Argentina national team. The phenom from the 1986 WC winning team, died from a heart attack in November 2020. Without any doubt, he is one of the most popular players in the world. But unfortunately, he might have to exit the game due to the legal dispute regarding the right to use his image in the game.

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According to some reports, the legal authorities of Argentina have claimed the image right and highlighted the point that there is no legal agreement of Sattvica (Matías Morla’s company) with Electronic Arts.

Apparently, Electronic Arts had a legal agreement with Stefano Ceri (close friend of Maradona and former manager). But unfortunately. Ceci failed to prove that he has any kind of legal right to make such an agreement with anyone. 

Did they reach any conclusion?

The Argentina court ruled that the ownership of the image rights of the legendary footballer will stay with Sattvica only. As a direct consequence, Electronic Arts may have to obliterate Maradona’s images from the game. Definitely, this will be an enormous loss for FIFA 22.

In October 2021, FIFA 2022 released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. So this is an early blow, to say the least.

What are your views on this? Also, do you think Electronic Arts will agree to completely remove the footballer from the game? Let us know in the comments section below.

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