
Law of Cards: Panini and Leaf Settle Lawsuit Over Kevin Durant Autographs
According to a recent court filing, as of April 25, Panini and Leaf have settled their legal dispute over Leaf's use of Kevin Durant autographs.
Filed on Feb. 23, the Panini v. Leaf lawsuit only lasted two months before it fell by the wayside. It was a busy two months, though, with a hearing on a temporary restraining order.
Now, who won this one? That's anyone's guess. 2012 Leaf Best of Basketball sold out before the lawsuit was filed, so the cards are likely already in full circulation. In fact, you can still see them for sale on the secondary market (like eBay). Because the cards are available you might infer that Leaf won because there was no announced recall or actions to limit the cards' circulation.
That's not a sure thing. Maybe Leaf paid Panini an undisclosed amount to make sure there would be no need for a recall.
It's all speculation, at this point, about who won. That is, if anyone won other than Panini and Leaf's lawyers.
Legal translation: Lawyers always win if they bill hourly.
Click here to view a copy of the court's settlement conference order.
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