USA/Licensing: Panini takes Fanatics to court for non-compliance with competition laws

Panini Americas, a subsidiary of the Italian manufacturer of collectable cards and stickers Panini, is taking its American competitor Fanatics to court in the United States, accusing the latter of creating "an entirely new monopoly spanning multiple leagues and multiple players associations" by means of "calculated, intentional, anticompetitive conduct," on 03/08/2023.

• The Italian group's subsidiary holds exclusive licensing rights for the NBA for the 2009-2025 cycle, and for the NFL for the 2016-2026 cycle.
• Fanatics, for its part, has held exclusive MLB licensing rights since 2022. The American group signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL players' union for 20 years (2026-2046) and with the NBA and its players' association (from 2026) in August 2021.

These two agreements are at the heart of Panini's legal action, as it was "was not given an opportunity to bid or otherwise compete for the licenses Fanatics acquired. By combining long-term exclusive licenses for every major US professional sports league and their respective player associations, Fanatics positioned itself to…