Today, Sports Interactive have announced that SEGA have reached an agreement with Manchester United to settle the dispute from last year regarding the use of the club's trademark in Football Manager.
Manchester United and Sega Trademark Dispute
The dispute began back in May 2020, with Manchester United suing Sports Interactive and Sega for various trademark infringements.
The club suggested that its name had been used extensively throughout the game, in ways it shouldn't have been, and not used the correct club badge in all instances.
The developer and publisher suggested that the club's name was “a legitimate reference to the Manchester United football team in a football context,” and therefore they'd not breached any agreements.
Now, however, the two parties have resolved the issue.
Settlement Agreed
On August 6, the Football Manager Twitter account released a statement to say that a settlement had been reached between Sega and Manchester Utd.
They said: "Manchester United and Sega have agreed a settlement to amicably resolve their trade mark dispute relating to Football Manager. Both parties are pleased to resolve this matter to their mutual satisfaction."
Of course, they haven't revealed the terms of the agreement, nor how the deal will affect future Football Manager titles, but we might be able to tell by analysing the changes once FM 22 releases later this year.
As more news on the agreement is revealed, or if Manchester United and Sega comment more on the situation, we'll be sure to let you know.