Posts
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds Creator sues over alleged Chinese knockoffs
On April 2, 2018, PUBG Corporation and PUBG Santa Monica, Inc. (“PUBG”) sued NetEase, Inc. and NetEase Information Technology Corp. (“NetEase”) over alleged copyright infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair competition. The complaint…
Universal Entertainment sues Aruze Gaming and Kazuo Okada over Slot Machine Patents
On March 30, 2018, Universal Entertainment Corporation (“Universal”) sued Aruze Gaming America, Inc. (“AGA”) and Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada (“Okada”). The asserted patents generally relate to slot machines. The accused products include…
Lindsay Lohan Loses Suit Regarding Grand Theft Auto V
On March 29, 2018, the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court of appeal, rejected actress Lindsay Lohan’s contention that the character “Lacey Jonas” from Grand Theft Auto V…
Nintendo sued by Hybrid Audio regarding MP3 Standards Patent
On March 27, 2018, Hybrid Audio, LLC (“Hybrid Audio”) sued Nintendo of America Inc. and Nintendo Co., Ltd. (“Nintendo”) for alleged infringement of RE 40,281, a reissue of U.S. 6,252,909. The allegedly…
Epic Sues Yet Another Fortnite Cheat Distributor
On Mar. 9, 2018, Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) sued Joseph Sperry (a/k/a “Spoezy”), yet another alleged distributor of cheats for the popular online game Fortnite. Similar to previous cases (discussed here, here, here,…
FaZe Clan Sued for Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition
On January 29, 2018, FaZe Clan, Inc. (“FaZe Clan”) , an online gaming team, was sued by FAZE Apparel, LLC (“FAZE Apparel”) for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. …
Lucasfilm’s suit over “Sabacc” Mobile Game Disputes Protection of “Fictional Goods”
Plaintiffs Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC and Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. LLC (“Lucasfilm”) have challenged attempts by defendant Ren Ventures Ltd. and Sabacc Creative Industries Ltd. (“Ren”) to dismiss a lawsuit by Lucasfilm alleging…
Four Konami Slot Machine Patents Held Invalid
Konami, no stranger to invalidity challenges against their video gaming patents, recently had four more patents directed to slot machines struck down as directed to abstract ideas. On Feb. 21, 2018, the…
New Book – How to Get a Job (in the legal profession)
Hello Patent Arcade readers. Something a little different today. An old friend from law school has published his own book: What They Don’t Teach You in Law School | How to Get…
Electronic Arts and Ubisoft Sued for Infringement of Database Differences Patent
On Feb. 8, 2018, Pure Data Systems, LLC (“Pure”) sued Electronic Arts, Inc. (“EA”) and Ubisoft, Inc. (“Ubisoft”) for alleged infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,999,947 to Zollinger et al. and 6,321,236…
Nintendo files two IPR Petitions against User Input Stream Patent
On Feb. 7, 2018, Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Nintendo of America, Inc. (“Nintendo”) filed two petitions for Inter Partes Review of U.S. 6,219,730 to Nguyen, a patent owned by Genuine Enabling Technology…
Sony Interactive Entertainment files Inter Partes Review of 3D Video Patent
On Feb. 1, Sony Interactive Entertainment, LLC (“Sony”) filed a Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 9,503,742 (the “’742 Patent”). The prosecution history of the ’742 Patent is not…
Pokémon GO Creator Niantic, Inc. sued for Augmented Reality Patent Infringement
On January 30, 2018, Barbaro Technologies, LLC (“Barbaro”) sued Niantic, Inc. (“Niantic”) for the alleged infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,373,377 and 8,228,325. Barbaro’s asserted patents are generally directed to integrating real-world…
Bankers & Brokers Loses Big on Card Game Patent Claims in New Jersey
On January 17, 2018, U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez of the District of New Jersey dismissed all patent infringement claims asserted by Joseph Scibetta (a/k/a “Bankers & Brokers”) (“Scibetta”), against Slingo,…
Photographer sues IGN over Pokémon GO Photo
On January 12, 2018, photographer Christopher Sadowski sued IGN Entertainment, Inc. (“IGN”) for copyright infringement. The copyright in question: a photograph of the Pokémon GO homepage on Sadowski’s cell phone, similar to (but…
Epic sues (another) alleged Fortnite Hacker
On January 8, 2018, Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) continued its legal crusade against alleged Fortnite hackers by suing Yash Gosai, a resident of Auckland, New Zealand, for copyright infringement, breach of contract,…
AM General Sues Activision over Humvees in Call of Duty
AM General LLC v Activision Blizzard Inc et al, FIled November 7, 2017, SDNY, No. 17-08644. AM General—the maker of HUMVEE vehicles—has sued Activision over Call of Duty’s inclusion of HUMVEE vehicles…
Blizzard files Inter Partes Review re: World of Warcraft Mounts, Citing Dungeons and Dragons
On November 6, 2017, Activision Blizzard, Inc. (“Blizzard”) filed a petition for inter partes review (“IPR”) against Game and Technology Co. Ltd. (“GAT”). Blizzard is challenging claims 1-7 of U.S. Patent No.…
Epic Games files a Fourth Suit against Alleged Fortnite Hackers
October 27, 2017, Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) sued three foreign individuals–James Mendes, Konstantin Vladimirovich Rak, and Oleksey Olekseevich Stegailo–for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, false designation of origin, breach of contract, and, under…
Epic Games sues two more alleged Fortnite hackers
On October 17, 2017, Epic Games sued Philip Josefsson and Artem Yakovenko for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, false designation of origin, breach of contract, and, under California law, unfair competition. The allegations…