Virtual reality headsets may be but babies on the gaming scene, but already one of them has landed in hot legal water. This week, a trial has begun in Texas between ZeniMax Media and Facebook, with the former claiming that the latter stole technology and proprietary information to create the Oculus Rift. ZeniMax is seeking $2 billion in damages.
ZeniMax levied a lawsuit last year against Facebook, saying that the headset was built using information from former ZeniMax employees. Of particular note to the lawsuit is Doom creator John Carmack, who was swept up in a ZeniMax acquisition in 2009 and then started working on the Oculus Rift team for Facebook in 2013. ZeniMax said that Carmack copied thousands of files from his computer to bring over to the Rift.
A representative for the Oculus Rift dismissed the accusation: “We’re disappointed that another company is using wasteful litigation to attempt to take credit for technology that it did not have the vision, expertise, or patience to build.”
The trial is supposed to last for three weeks and will include testimony from Facebook CEOÂ Mark Zuckerberg.
