A lawsuit brought by college athletes seeking television and videogame revenue can move forward, a US judge has ruled, in a case that seeks to reshape traditional notions of sports amateurism in the United States.

In a decision on Friday, US District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, California, ruled that a group of players could sue the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a class action, in an effort to change rules that bar athletes from earning money on their images. However, she ruled athletes could not seek money damages for financial losses they suffered in the past.

The lawsuit takes on the highly-lucrative business of college athletics, where universities reap billions of dollars from men's American football and basketball, but players are not allowed to profit.