The case between Panini and former Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 players is not over, but a first court decision was handed down on Tuesday December 20, according to AFP. As a reminder, several former professional players had filed a complaint in October 2021 against Panini and the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP), holder of the image rights of the players. They believe that their share of the profits linked to the use of their image is not sufficient. In addition, their lawyer denounced an unclear charter, which does not specify “the counterpart, the support or the geographical limits of this transfer of image rights”.
In total, eleven complaints were filed. Among them, seven were not deemed admissible, according to AFP. Indeed, the Paris court considers that “their actions had to be initiated no later than five years after the publication of the photos in the albums in question”, which is not the case. Among these players whose action will not go further are notably Jérôme Rothen, former French international, as well as Fabrice Pancrate or even Tripy Makonda.
Two complaints were deemed partially admissible: those of Vincent Bessat, whose image was used until 2018, and Jérémy Pied, who appeared in the Panini albums between 2009 and 2021. Finally, lawyer Me Elie Dottelongue confirmed to AFP that the procedures would continue for Jérémy Doku and Bruno Ekuele Manga. A judicial source tells Le Parisien that the bottom will be decided in 2023.