![]() ![]() Sometimes the claims seem legitimate, and the thieves should be penalized. Years ago, Universal Studios even sued Nintendo over Donkey Kong, claiming that it was a rip-off of King Kong. Stranger Things creators are getting sued for stealing an idea for the show after allegedly meeting the claimant (the one doing the suing) at a party a few years ago. There was a more recent plagiarism claim against Lana Del Rey, and there have been many others. ![]() You’ve likely read about the lawsuits in music–there was a big one with Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and Blurred Lines, where the Marvin Gaye estate sued for infringement. Please strap yourself in.Ĭopyright laws can be tricky regardless of the medium you’re working in. So, in a way, every new case shapes future cases and copyright law as a whole. Previous rulings factor into new rulings all the time. Precedence is the decisions and rulings formed in prior trials. Copyright law (along with much of the law system in general) works by leaning on precedence. This guide is intended to give you a better idea of what goes on in the world of copyright laws, particularly as it relates to game design.Īnd, as you’re about to find out, copyright law is a bubbly swamp of convolution, misunderstanding, and information that can be (and is) interpreted and reinterpreted all the time. If you have actual, pressing legal concerns, you should seek out the appropriate professional help. And you don’t want anybody to steal your game, either.Ī quick preface here–we’re not lawyers. Bold requests, indeed.You don’t want to steal someone else’s game and get whacked with a lawsuit. Brooks requested 10% of all gross sales earned to date on Call of Duty sales, among other remuneration requests, and for the character Sean Brooks to be "morphed" into Shon Brooks. ![]() In an interesting tidbit, prior to launching the lawsuit, Brooks contacted Activision Blizzard and Rockstar with the IP infringement allegations. Rockstar said there is "no credible evidence that Rockstar created, released, published, or had any involvement in Call of Duty in any way," and that the company is, in fact, actually a competitor of Activision-so there's no way the two studios would work together on a CoD title. Rockstar denied those allegations and specifically stated that it has no corporate relationship with Activision Blizzard. As for why Rockstar was named in the complaint too, Brooks claimed that there were email exchanges between Rockstar and Activision Blizzard, and Rockstar was the one who apparently shared Brooks' pitch with Activision Blizzard. The judge also ordered the company to reimburse Activision Blizzard and Rockstar for attorney fees and litigation costs. The first is that Brooks obviously did not do enough research on Infinite Warfare, and the second is that there are "legally and factually baseless" claims in the lawsuit. The judge dismissed Brooks' lawsuit based on two reasons. Also, Activision Blizzard added, Sean Brooks is not the main character of Infinite Warfare: Nick Reyes is.Īctivision Blizzard also pointed out that Sean Brooks is an Irish space marine, and Shon Brooks, on the other hand, is “an African American San Diego-based financial consultant and cigar salesman." Image comparison between Sean Brooks and Shon Brooks, as included in the legal documents. ![]() In response, Activision Blizzard's counsel called Brooks' claims "delusional." The company also denied that talks between Brooks and Activision Blizzard ever took place. Brooks also claimed that Infinite Warfare and Save One Bank both share first-person shooter and third-person shooter mechanics, both have a "scripted battle scene in a high fashion couture shopping mall," and both main characters go to Mars. Now Playing: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Absolution Trailerīrooks then alleged Infinite Warfare copied what they showed to Activision Blizzard and cited the following evidence: Sean Brooks is the main character of Infinite Warfare, and apparently infringes on its Brooks' entertainment character Shon Brooks' likeness and persona. By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's ![]()
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