In a new article co-authored with Amy Maldonado, Ksenia Maiorova explains why classifying payments to international student-athletes under the House v. NCAA settlement as “royalty income” may not protect universities from legal risk. While some schools hope to avoid employment issues by framing payments as royalties for use of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, Maiorova and Maldonado warn that immigration and tax authorities will scrutinize the substance over the label, potentially exposing F-1 student-athletes and institutions to serious consequences.
