Posts tagged legal 
Artist sues pet toy company over Angry Birds licensing profits
Seattle artist Juli Adams has filed suit against pet product manufacturer Hartz, alleging that the company denied her profits when it ditched her trademarked "Angry Birds" toy line in favor of licensed products based on Rovio's mobile hit Angry Birds. Adams' own "Angry Birds" lineup of catnip-fi...
Former Silicon Knights dev sentenced in child pornography case
Former Precursor Games and Silicon Knights designer Ken McCulloch was sentenced this week in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines, Canada on child pornography charges. Judge Joseph Nadel sentenced McCulloch to 12 months of time served; McCulloch has been jailed since his arrest in late Jun...
Diesel jeans files opposition to Dieselstormers trademark
Lawyers representing the Diesel fashion brand have filed legal opposition to attempts by Germany's Black Forest Games to trademark "Dieselstormers" as the title of an upcoming run and gun shooter. According to Diesel representatives, the game's title could cause confusion in consumers. Despite D...
Sins of a Solar Empire dev discusses 'Rebellion' lawsuit
Following two years of legal battles, Ironclad Studios has been granted the right to use the word "Rebellion" in the title of its latest space exploration epic, a decision it hopes will set a precedent for the increasingly litigious gaming industry. "Rebellion Developments [developer of Alien vs...
FTC sues Amazon over in-app purchase practices
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sued online retailer Amazon for refusing to change its framework for purchases made within its hosted mobile apps, according to a Reuters report. The lawsuit is an expected result of Amazon's denial of FTC-issued requests to change its in-app purchase polici...
Ubisoft emerges unscathed by DRM patent infringement lawsuit
A United States District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Ubisoft which claims that the publisher violated patents held by Digital Reg of Texas in the design of its infamous uPlay DRM software. Initially filed in 2012, the lawsuit alleges that Ubisoft (alongside other companies such a...
Lindsay Lohan sues Rockstar over GTA 5 character likeness
Following months of idle threats, actress Lindsay Lohan has officially filed a lawsuit against Rockstar Games, alleging that the Grand Theft Auto 5 creators borrowed her likeness for the character of Lacey Jonas. According to the suit, Lohan's virtual doppelganger mirrors the actress' struggles ...
Hearing on 38 Studios' potential lobbying violations set for next week
Rhode Island Secretary of State Ralph Mollis has issued letters to four individuals, requesting their presence in court on July 1 to determine if attempts were made to lobby lawmakers following the costly collapse of game developer 38 Studios. "Our office has been diligently investigating who, i...
Oculus: ZeniMax lawsuit a 'transparent attempt' to profit from Facebook sale
Oculus VR has issued a legal statement denying ZeniMax Media's claims that Oculus Chief Technology Officer John Carmack developed key VR technology while employed at ZeniMax, therefore entitling ZeniMax and its subsidiary id Software to compensation. "ZeniMax's Complaint falsely claims ownership...
UK court rules against Nintendo in patent infringement case
A UK court has found Nintendo's reasons for creating devices with both a camera and motion-sensing technology "unconvincing," and has ruled against the house that Mario built in a patent infringement case brought forward by electronics company Philips. The decision impacts the Wii and Wii U console...
