Trading Card Rivals Fanatics and Panini Launch Legal Battle With a Pair of Lawsuits

Sports platform Fanatics and competitor Panini have in recent days become enmeshed in a legal battle, with a pair of lawsuits between the trading card rivals.

Last week, Panini filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fanatics alleging that it had engaged in “calculated, intentional, anticompetitive conduct” to establish a monopoly in the trading card industry. On Monday, Fanatics countersued, alleging interference with business relations and a breach of duty to negotiate in good faith.

The dispute comes down to licensing rights for professional sports league and their associated trading cards: Panini currently has the league and player union licenses to produce trading cards for the NBA and NFL. It’s held those exclusive rights since 2009 and 2016, respectively.

Read the source article at CNBC