See the charming dark-skinned gent in the header image? That’s the Striker Lucian skin in League of Legends. It also strongly resembles the kit, hairstyle, and distinctive eyewear of Edgar Davids, a retired soccer player who was pretty good at the game and wore a similar kit at the time of the skin’s introduction. And now that skin is going to cost Riot Games some money because a Dutch court has ruled that the skin infringes upon Davids’ personal rights.
The resemblance was, of course, intentional; Riot’s core argument was that players would recognize the character as Lucian first and foremost, but the court ultimately decided that it’s close enough to Davids’ likeness that he’s still entitled to compensation. So however much money the skin has made in the Netherlands, a percentage of that will go to Davids. Good news for Davids, bad news for Riot, neutral news for whoever has no deep investment in soccer.
