NCAA Standard for Lacrosse Stickhead Design Not Anticompetitive

The Sixth Circuit has upheld the dismissal on the pleadings of lacrosse stick manufacturer Warrior Sports’s complaint alleging that the NCAA violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by agreeing with Warrior’s competitors to adopt a new rule that prohibited the use of all of the stick models currently sold by Warrior.  After meeting with Warrior, the NCAA had adopted a rule that would have required a stickhead design urged upon it by Warrior.  After learning that Warrior had a patent on this design, the NCAA contacted Warrior and asked about its licensing policies for the patent.  When Warrior refused to agree to license the patent, the NCAA adopted a new rule that permitted stick heads that conformed to Warrior’s as well as designs that did not.  The court held that by alleging that the rule would permit competition from numerous manufacturers, Warrior confirmed that the rule was not anticompetitive.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*