The marketing branch of the NFL Players Association has filed a countersuit against CBS Sports over the issue of licensing fees for fantasy information.

In its filing, NFL PLAYERS reportedly contends that CBS Interactive sued in the wrong jurisdiction and named the wrong defendant, the NFLPA. The initial suit was filed in federal court in Minneapolis, which resides in the Eighth Circuit.

NFL PLAYERS filed the countersuit in federal court in Miami, citing the location of CBS Sports’ headquarters in Fort Lauderdale. The setting for the case could be significant because the Eighth Circuit was where favorable ruling for fantasy provider CBC kept Major League Baseball from charging licensing fees for use of player names and statistics in fantasy games, a decision that was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court before justices refused to hear it. The swath of the Midwest included in the Eighth Circuit is also particularly densely populated by fantasy sports businesses.

Representatives from the Players Association say they believe the use of the players’ information in fantasy games infringes on their rights without compensating them. CBS Sports already works under licenses for features such as player photos that run on individual player pages but is seeking an official ruling to disallow the attempted collection of fees for using names and statistics.

A roundup of recent posts on the FSB News page.

– Showtime’s new version of longtime HBO staple “Inside the NFL” debuts tonight, about a half-hour from the time at which I’m writing this sentence. Despite what some might believe (scroll to the end), fantasy players are likely to get about as excited for this show as we would for a quilting bee.

– Beginning with Saturday’s Georgia-South Carolina tilt, CBS Sports will broadcast 17 SEC football games live online this season. A deal is in the works for basketball.

– ExchangeP is launching a fantasy stock trading game that features “shares” of privately owned companies. Here are what some techies think of the idea.

The Content Factory, a new media company with former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick at the forefront, announced today the purchase of GameTimeDecisions.net as part of a plan to build its fantasy football presence.

The company, founded by Jimmy de Castro, aims to “revolutionize radio, expand media channels and customize content to meet multidimensional consumer access,” according to the main page of its website. Content Factory also reached a deal with Pro Football Weekly last week to produce a weekly hourlong fantasy football radio show, hosted by PFW’s Hub Arkush.

The proceeds from that show will reportedly be invested in building out GameTimeDecisions.net — a fantasy football subscription site founded by sports talk radio host Brian Swaw — into “the most robust” site of its kind on the Web. In addition, Game Time Decisions will drive a new fantasy contest that will be hosted on Patrick’s website.

The stated goals appear to be a bit lofty considering the saturation of the online fantasy football market that Content Factory is entering, but we’ll see what the company has in mind to make its site “robust.”

FLW Fantasy Fishing drew loads of attention with its industry-record prizes, and the competition delivered late last month on its promise to award the first million-dollar payout in fantasy sports.

In addition to simply being interesting, a chat with Michael Thompson about winning the $1 million can also prove beneficiary for other fantasy-game providers. Unsurprisingly, the eye-catching advertised prizes reeled him in (pun intended) at the beginning, but although FLW has touted its contest as being approachable for anyone, it was no novice who won this fantasy million.

Thompson says he is an avid follower of professional bass fishing, and the contest website reports that he subscribed to FLW’s pay service “Player’s Advantage” for help in the competition. These points help to reinforce two overriding principles within the fantasy sports industry:

1. Although there is certainly a measure of luck involved, fantasy competitions rely heavily on knowledge and skill.
2. Fantasy players will spend money to pursue success in their games.

Without further delay, here are the champ’s answers to my questions.

How did you find out about the FLW fantasy game?

I found out about Fantasy Fishing through watching FSN (Fox Sports Net) and seeing commercials. I love to fish and enjoy participating in other fantasy sports, so I signed up.

What was your mindset going in? Did you really think you’d be able to come away with some money, or did you just figure it would be fun?

Here is a chance to win some great prizes doing something I really enjoy; the weekly prizes alone were enough to get anyone interested, the million dollars grand prize was only something I could dream about winning.

What, if anything, has changed since you won the money?

My wife and I actually just purchased a new home. We actually saw it about 6 months ago but never thought we could actually purchase it anytime soon. That has all changed. We move in October 22!

How closely do you follow the professional fishing tours?

Very closely. I try to watch all of the tour events (for bass).

What’s your own background as a fisherman?

I took up bass fishing about 5 years ago and jumped right into fishing local competitions. I enjoy introducing kids to fishing also.

What’s your preferred method/style/category of fishing?

Power fishing and docks. I really like shallow fishing and sight fishing. Some of my favorite lures are crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs. (Side note: “jigs” is the name of one of our cats).

Do you play other fantasy sports as well?

Yes, I am currently in Fantasy Football and NASCAR leagues.

Do you still want to join the police force, or have your career plans been altered?

Yes, I am still pursing a career as a police officer. I have completed my first two weeks of skills with 7 weeks remaining. The money has not changed my career goals. It has allowed us to do things sooner than later.