Nowadays it takes some impressive work to look like the bad guy in the room compared to Activision-Blizzard, but one games developer has managed to pull off that trick by way of a lawsuit against the Call of Duty developer that tried to claim stolen identity and IP rights – claims that were ultimately tossed out by the court.
The suit was filed in November 2021 by Brooks Entertainment founder Shon Brooks, who claimed in the suit that his name was “capitalized” by ActiBlizz in the creation of protagonist Sean Brooks in COD: Infinite Warfare. Brooks also argued that the shooter copied his own titles, Stock Picker and Save One Bank, because both titles feature “scripted game battle scenes [that] take place in a high fashion couture shopping center mall” among other things.
The ruling was handed down this past July with some generally unkind words for the plaintiff’s side. “Plaintiff’s counsel could have easily verified these facts prior to filing the factually baseless Complaint, just as the Court easily verified them within the first hour and a half of playing the game,” reads the court’s ruling.
The suit was dismissed with prejudice, and Brooks is now on the hook for Activision’s legal fees and the cost of the filing.
