Topline
E-commerce sports platforms Fanatics and Panini have each filed lawsuits accusing the other of unfair business practices in a fight over licensing rights for NBA and NFL trading cards as Fanatics looks to grow its e-commerce merchandise platform to include collectables and sports betting businesses.
Key Facts
Panini kicked off the legal battle last week with an antitrust lawsuit filed in a federal court in Florida against Fanatics, alleging it engaged in “calculated, intentional, anticompetitive conduct” to establish a monopoly in the trading card industry when it bought card maker Topps last year and later won the exclusive rights to produce cards for the NBA and NFL after Panini’s deals to do so expire in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
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