Former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown received $600,000 from video-game maker Electronic Arts to dismiss a case brought by the Pro Football Hall of Famer for his unauthorized appearance in the company's "Madden" video game.
The judgment, which was announced Tuesday by Hagens Berman, the firm representing him, will be entered in the court record in the coming days.
"Big business should think twice before it turns players' hard-won identities and achievements into merchandise without permission or compensation," Brown's attorney, Robert Carey, said in a statement.
Electronic Arts asked to use Brown in its "Madden" game as part of its feature that allowed gamers to play with famous older teams, including Brown's Browns team, which won the title in 1964. Brown declined to be used.
To get around it, Brown alleged that EA created a character in the game that was similar to Brown in height, weight, skin color, experience, position and ability level.
The $600,000 represents a significant sum to EA. Sources have told ESPN that the "Madden" cover athlete gets paid less than $500,000 for the endorsement every year.
The payment represents the end to a long battle between EA and Brown, who first sued the company in August 2008.
"I took a stand for all athletes and laid a framework for future plaintiffs with my great legal team," Brown said in the statement. "Hopefully, this is a step forward in getting companies like Electronic Arts to recognize the value that athletes have in selling their products."
Hagens Berman was part of a team of lawyers that represented NCAA players to which EA paid out a $60 million settlement fee for use of their likenesses, without their permission, in games from 2003 to 2014.