Diego Maradona Suing Konami Due to His Likeness Being Used in PES 2017 without His Permission
Konami used the likeness of soccer star Diego Maradona in PES 2017, but they did so without any prior permission of the retired Argentine athlete. Well, he’s not happy about it, and Diego Maradona suing Konami is currently his planned course of action. His lawyers are pushing forward to make amends for the Japanese company for replicating him in their most recent Pro Evolution Soccer title. Diego Maradona made an official statement about the situation on his official Facebook page, and he seems disheartened (to say the least) over the entire situation.
You can see the picture of the character below:
Maradona’s post says the following, attached with a screenshot of the game’s picture: “I heard yesterday that the Japanese company Konami uses my image for its game PES 2017. Unfortunately, my lawyer Matias Morla will initiate the corresponding legal actions. I hope this is not another scam…”
The legal repercussions of Konami using the athlete’s likeness could end up putting a big dent in the company’s finances and reputation, so instead of facing the consequences, it’s likely that Konami will push an update to replace Maradona’s image. Even if the character is removed or replaced, the damage has already been done and Konami is very well aware that they did not acquire the legal permissions in the first place.
While Konami has yet to release an official statement about using Maradona’s image without consent, this is certainly news that will be interesting to follow as it progresses.