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Three Strikes And They're Out At The Old Ball Game: Preemption Of Performers' Rights Of Publicity Under The Copyright Act Of 1976, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

Presently, broadcasters and cable television companies deal directly with the two baseball leagues and the individual clubs, which in turn purport to sell all of the rights regarding the televising of the games. The players wanted to be a part of those contracts to get a bigger share of the television revenues. In the Baltimore Orioles case both sides sought a judicial resolution of their rights in the telecasts. The baseball players' demand was based on their rights of publicity in their performances. This common law right allegedly precluded the clubs and the leagues from contracting with the broadcasters for …