UFC sending letters to fighters over merchandise rights?
Published on: 4th September, 2008
Photo courtesy of Cagepotato.com
Do you like seeing your favorite fighters a part action figures, video games and UFC merchandise? Sure, we all want to play as our favorite UFC superstar in the upcoming UFC 2009: Undisputed video game coming in the next year. Well there may be an issue with that as the UFC is allegedly attempting to get fighters to sign away their merchandise rights to maximize their profits.According to MMAFA.TV what is making the situation even more confusing is that the UFC is not contacting the fighters agents, but the fighters themselves.
“the UFC is ambitiously attempting to enter the merchandising arena by essentially stripping fighters of all rights to their likeness, in perpetuity. Multiple sources have indicated that UFC officials are now sending letters to fighters who have not yet signed the Merchandising Rights Agreement. The letter warns fighters that if they do not return the executed Merchandising Rights Agreement by the end of the week, the offer will be rescinded, and the fighter will not be included in the UFC’s licensing program.
Even more outrageous, UFC officials are directly contacting fighters, instead of the fighters’ selected agents. Fighters are told that they are hearing only one side of the story from their selected representatives, and that the UFC’s Merchandising Rights program really is a great deal. By not signing the Merchandising Rights Agreement, fighters are told they are leaving money on the table.”
As we all know if the fighters sign away their rights they will not be able to make any money off of shirts, games, action figures or any product bearing them on it. The UFC is attempting to get aggressive in their pursuit of maximizing their potential profits in the future and becoming more like the MLB, NFL and NBA. So why are they not attempting to do revenue sharing with the fighters on any products they will make? From rumors that are going around fighters are refusing to sign these deals as they are considered one sided and an attempt to screw the fighters. It seems to me if the UFC and the fighters do not want to keep running into issues like this they will need to utter those 5 dirty letters “U-N-I-O-N”.
Narcisist is the Co-owner of UR Dirt and is the designer, editor and author. URDirt.com is a MMA blog that covers the UFC, WEC, StrikeForce, DREAM and several other Mixed Martial Art promotions.
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that’s fucked up big time wasn’t that the reason Couture was so pissed off before? He said when Zuffa took over they did the same shit
This is really weak, end-arounding agents. The agents want to make money more than the fighters do. If it was such a great deal. Why arent the agents signing up for this? Because the deal the UFC is offering sucks, that’s why!
RE- Jamie. Its going to be something that really pisses off the fighters agents bad they wont like that at all.
Visit Jamie’s site as well MMASmarts.com
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