The National Football League may have violated antitrust laws in giving Reebok an exclusive hat deal, a federal judge ruled, on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Courthouse News Service.

Reebok acquired the exclusive rights to produce headwear with team logos in 2001. American Needle sued the NFL, 30 of 32 member teams and Reebok after its license was not renewed.

In 2008, the 7th Circuit, affirming the dismissal of American Needle's case, found that the NFL is a single entity immune to antitrust laws.

The Supreme Court reinstated the case in 2010 after finding that each team pursues its own corporate interests when it licenses its intellectual property.

The parties both moved for summary judgment on remand, but U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman shot them down last week.

American Needle produced expert evidence that, “shortly following the
execution of the exclusive arrangement between Reebok and NFL
Properties, wholesale prices of licensed hats rose by a significant
degree while output of those items dropped, and that the higher prices
and lower output continued for years, never returning to their
pre-exclusivity levels,” the 9-page opinion states.

The Courthouse News Service article is here.