Article 7 - Sports Trading Cards

California Business and Professions Code — §§ 21670-21672

Sections (3)

Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1120, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1993.

For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(a)“Altered or refurbished” means repair work which has been performed to enhance the value of the sports trading card as a collectible. This work includes, but is not limited to, filling in holes, building new corners, ironing out creases, or touching up the pictures or borders on the sports trading card.

(b)“Legitimate sports trading card” means any card produced for use in commerce, that contains a company name or team logo, or both, and an image, representation, or facsimile of one or more players or other team member or members in any pose, and is produced pursuant to an appropriate licensing agreement.

(c)“Counterfeit sports trading card” means any card, produced for use in commerce, without appropriate licensing authority, which is a forgery, copy, or imitation of a legitimate sports trading card, produced without authority or right, and with the intention of passing the card for that which is original or genuine.

(d)“Unlicensed sports trading card” means any card that is produced for use in commerce, without proper licensing authority. This definition specifically excludes cards which are bound in publications.

(e)“Appropriate licensing authority” means express, written permission to manufacture, produce, distribute, and sell the sports trading card, as granted by the valid owner or owners of the licensing rights of any image, work, term, name, symbol, logo, or insignia that appears on the sports trading card.

§ 21671

Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 360, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.

(a)Any sports trading card that is altered or refurbished shall be accompanied by a certificate stating the exact work done to the sports trading card, the date the work was performed, the cost of that work, and the name, phone number, and address of the person who performed the work.

(b)Any person or agent thereof, who knowingly sells or trades a sports card in violation of subdivision (a), shall both:

(1)Refund to the buyer, the full amount paid for the altered or refurbished sports trading card or the full retail value of any nonmonetary consideration received in exchange for the altered or refurbished sports trading card, or both.

(2)Be liable to the buyer for a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Each card sold represents a separate and distinct violation.

§ 21672

Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 360, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1996.

(a)Any person, or agent thereof, who knowingly manufactures, produces, or distributes unlicensed or counterfeit sports trading cards with the intent to deceive, injure, or defraud another, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any person, or agent thereof, who violates this subdivision shall do both of the following:

(1)Refund to the buyer the full amount paid for the unlicensed or counterfeit sports trading card or the full retail value of any nonmonetary consideration received in exchange for the unlicensed or counterfeit sports trading card, or both.

(2)Be liable to the buyer for a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Each card sold represents a separate and distinct violation.

(b)Any person who knowingly sells a cut, unlicensed sports trading card that has been produced by cutting the card from a publication in which unlicensed sports trading cards are bound, without disclosing the source and the means of producing the card, with the intent to deceive, injure, or defraud another, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any person who violates this subdivision shall do both of the following:

(1)Refund to the buyer the full consideration paid or furnished for the cut, unlicensed sports trading card.

(2)Be liable to the buyer for a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Each card sold represents a separate and distinct violation.

This provision does not apply to a sports trading card that is excluded from the definition of “unlicensed sports trading card” pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 21670 of the Business and Professions Code by reason of being bound in a publication.