Call of Duty can have Humvees in its games because games are art and using Humvees creates a sense of realism.
Sooo… racing games don’t have to pay for expensive licenses anymore? Racing games can have realistic damage models now?
I doubt this ruling will straight up kill the need for Licensing or manufacture restrictions on what games can do with their cars. But it might help to open up a few doors that have been closed before. I think the fact that military Humvees don’t have and brand logos on them does help (at least not on the outside). The game isn’t making direct references to the company that builds the Humvees.
I doubt it’ll affect licensing for racing games in a major way, but it’s hard to say.
Brand image and reputation is integral for a car manufacturer and they put a lot of effort and money into keeping that image. I think it would be hard for developers/publishers to argue a Ferrari or whatever is integral to their game. Any racing series in particular would have control over their brand anyway and so would the sponsors I assume.