Topps Chewing Gum v. Major League Baseball Players Association
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
641 F.Supp 1179 (1986)
Relevant factsFree
After MLBPA (defendant) obtained players' agreement to market publicity rights only through the union rather than individual licenses, Topps (plaintiff), which previously held individual player licenses, sued alleging the arrangement violated Sherman Act §§ 1 and 2 as a group boycott, and both parties moved for summary judgment.
IssueFree
Whether there is a per se violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and thus a "group boycott," when an entity representing a group of athletes markets the athletes' rights of publicity on a group basis.