16 years after the release of Sports Interactive’s first Football Manager game, and 28 years after the launch of the first Championship Manager game, Manchester United is suing the developer over the use of its name in the game.
As reported by The Guardian, Manchester United has launched legal action against Sega and Sports Interactive for allegedly infringing its trademark.
Countering, Sega and Sports Interactive said the use of the club’s name in the popular simulation series is “a legitimate reference to the Manchester United football team in a football context”, and pointed out it has been used in Football Manager and its predecessor Championship Manager since 1992 “without complaint by the claimant”.
In a tweet, Sports Interactive boss Miles Jacobson said he was unable to comment on the proceedings.
for obvious reasons, all I can say right now is that I/we can’t talk about ongoing legal proceedings….
— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) May 22, 2020
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Sports Interactive developed the Championship Manager games from 1992 before it split with its then publisher Eidos in 2003. From 2004 it has released a Football Manager game every year. Sports Interactive was bought by Sega in 2006.
United also claims Football Manager infringes its trademark of the Manchester United logo by not using the official Manchester United crest in the game. This “deprives the registered proprietor of its right to have the club crest licensed”, Manchester United’s lawyers said.