LEXIA, with its multidisciplinary team led by partner Silvia Cossu and supported by partner Aurora Agostini, counsel Giulietta Minucci, senior associate Anna Russo, and associates Sara Cazzaniga, Alessandro Carlini, and Giovanni Lombardi, has secured a decisive victory at the appellate level in the case against the Serie A Professional League, regarding the lawsuit initiated by the League against a gamer expert in the EA Sports FC video game.
The Court confirmed that the League’s audiovisual rights do not extend to virtual gameplay actions, even if inspired by real ones. Specifically, the judge emphasized that an extension of these rights to virtual gameplay actions would require specific legislative intervention and could raise compatibility issues with freedom of expression, which is protected both by the Italian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
This ruling represents a significant affirmation of the principles of freedom of expression and the limits of audiovisual rights, marking an important precedent in the legal landscape related to video games and virtual competitions.
