EA loses its exclusive NCAA/AFL license after settling an antitrust complaint.

If you are a US resident and you bought any

If you are a US resident and you bought any Madden NFL, NCAA Football, or AFL title after January 2005, you could be eligible for a little (very tiny) payout from a class action case that was just resolved. The dispute began in 2008 when EA faced legal challenges about its exclusive licensing contracts with the Arena Football League (AFL), National Football League (NFL), and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

According to the class action lawsuit, EA overcharged users for its football games and "violated antitrust and consumer protection laws."

EA has now suggested a settlement that would set aside $27 million USD for anyone who bought games under the NFL, NCAA, or AFL titles. If you reside in the US and purchased any of those games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, or Xbox after January 2005, you could be eligible to get a refund of around $6.79 USD for each. The price per game for Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 games is a meager $1.95 USD.

In addition, the plan stipulates that EA will not extend its NCAA deal, which expires in 2014, or sign any new license agreements with the AFL for a minimum of five years.

Before it can be implemented, the court must give its final approval to EA's settlement plan.

Business Wire is the source.


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