Trademark
I'm aware of a decent amount of the licensing stemming from the research done into a possible business venture a few years back. The NFL owns all their logos, uniform design, etc. Think of that as the "team" piece. A Cowboys or Packers logo on a midfield of a stadium...technically you couldn't use that and generate any $ from it without giving the NFL a piece.
The "likeness" comes in with the NFLPA. Anytime you are generating $ from a player's likeness (such as the video games), their names, their signature traits, etc...the NFLPA has a right to ask for their cut. Deals can be done with individual players or blanket deals, such as the video games using likenesses and names.
Technically, anytime you decal up a figure and then sell it, you risk violation of both the NFL and the NFLPA licenses as you're likely using NFL logos on the uniform and the player's jersey name and likeness of look.
If I want to take unpainted figures and paint some up for my own collection, I honestly don't know what the law would say. As an artist, I suppose I could do whatever I want as long as I wasn't selling it to others.
I'm sure Jennings and others can add even more to this thread as they've dealt with it more. I do think it'd be an interesting session in Canton.
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