Perhaps it's something Hasbro doesn't have a choice about if it's a legal requirement over here.
Having seen the imported ones in hand I actually didn't mind the sticker. It's nicer than it appears in photos, and personally I don't think I'd attempt to remove it. The ageing affect on the card isn't great, but actually the biggest turn off is the quality of the card. It's cheap and thin. It doesn't give me vintage vibes at all.
That said, IMO the figures are excellent. I have a minty loose vintage set, and they look a bit tired next to these. Army building stormtrooper collectors must be on cloud nine. The highlight for me though is definitely Tarkin, which I think was a nicely done figure that doesn't look out of place with the originals.
I had no interest in the board game really but it is very nice done. I hope it does well as I'd like to see more characters not previously released.
I would agree that I wish they put more effort into the cards. They aren't perfect. But they aren't bad either. I still think at about a tenner a pop these are a pretty cool set, and certainly an affordable alternative to the real thing.