PUBG Files Copyright Lawsuit to Shut Down Competition

Megalith

Megalith

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The creators of PUBG have filed a lawsuit against NetEase, the developer of mobile games "Rules of Survival" and "Knives Out,” for allegedly copying their work and confusing the public into thinking the titles are affiliated. According to the complaint, everything from buildings and vehicles to weapons were copied, in addition to iconic salutes such as the “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.”

Specifically, PUBG asks the court to order NetEase “to remove each and every version of the games Rules of Survival, Knives Out, and similarly infringing games, from distribution and to cease developing and supporting those games.” While it appears obvious that Rules of Survival and Knives Out are inspired by PUBG, it’s up to the court to determine whether the copyright infringement and unfair competition claims hold.
 
Lordy, lordy, now PUBG thinks they created every weapon, pickup and plywood shack, that ever existed? What's their take on Far Cry 5? Oh, crap!!! PUBG created the whole multiplayer, last man standing, on a clock, video game says no one who's ever played a FPS in the last 20+ years! Shity devs and the reason I'll never buy into PUBG!
 
The cash cow flavor of the day has moved on to something else. It will happen to the next game also.
 
If they can prove the files were 100% copied then they have a case. Otherwise, it's just imitation, and they should be flattered, and then find out how to make their game mobile and rake in the profit.
 
When Blizzard came out with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans they didn't try to stop the release of Westwood's Command & Conquer. They didn't try to stop Microsoft's Age of Empires, and they didn't try to stop Cavedog's Total Annihilation. In spite of this, even during the glut of RTS strategy games Blizzard still made money on their Warcraft / Starcraft series because the cream rises to the top. Good developers release good games.

Most of the ideas I've seen in PUBG have existed in other games, but Bluehole has done a good job of mixing elements into something that people feel is fresh. Now Bluehole has broken into the big money game, they're watching the bulge in their bank accounts and they have cash to burn. They've stopped being proud of their accomplishment and they've started dreaming dreams of condos and sports cars and plastic surgery. Honestly, I feel they've lost track of who they were. In my opinion, they've reached that level of rich where their cash flow is a bigger reality than their product. And now they're claiming that other people have stolen the 'fashion', the 'style' of their player environment.

Maybe they have a case - if anyone tried to move in on EA's Star Wars Battleground series they'd be instantly burned to the ground and their ashes fed to chickens, and that would be based solely on the player community's understanding of the look, lore and history of the environment. But PUBG? Not so much.

Bluehole have made a good game, they own a hot property, and they're still making money. That should be enough. Nobody wins in court.


P.S. Now we have a glut of arena-style first-person shooters. I hate it when developers won't take risks.
 
Eh, they might have a case. The NetEase games are more than just the same "genre" ...they're practically carbon copies.
 
scojer said:
If they can prove the files were 100% copied then they have a case. Otherwise, it's just imitation, and they should be flattered, and then find out how to make their game mobile and rake in the profit.
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They already have a mobile version of PUBG on Android & iOS; the Android version has already passed 10 million downloads. Anyways, besides the possibility of files being directly copied, Bluehole does have a pretty good trademark case about these two games using the "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" catchphrase. Trademark laws strongly frown upon using another company's slogans, especially with such similar products, as that can be seen as creating consumer confusion. Note that the restaurant "Raising Canes" also uses this slogan, but since it is a very different market the trademark issue does not apply.
 
In the past PUBG has been unable to take any legal action toward games that are using their game mode (king of the hill / last man standing), so instead they are going after games that are going beyond just copying their play mode, by essentially recreating the same game under a different engine/skin. No one bitched about this in the 90s when there were a dozen RPGs that almost all towed the same line in all aspects of the game, so I really feel like game developers should be allowed to create whatever product they want, regardless of how similar it is. You could even make the same case with FPS games in the early 2000s.

In the end, your product will stand for itself and sales will determine your success. I really doubt anyone is mistaking this, or any other game for that matter, as being affilliated with PUBG.
 
dreadcthulhu said:
They already have a mobile version of PUBG on Android & iOS; the Android version has already passed 10 million downloads. Anyways, besides the possibility of files being directly copied, Bluehole does have a pretty good trademark case about these two games using the "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" catchphrase. Trademark laws strongly frown upon using another company's slogans, especially with such similar products, as that can be seen as creating consumer confusion. Note that the restaurant "Raising Canes" also uses this slogan, but since it is a very different market the trademark issue does not apply.
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Winner winner chicken dinner? Is that a joke? No i haven't played PUBG. If i was a judge i would immediately toss that trademark, as in instantly.
 
main-qimg-d555bc0b44e4d1bfecd6165c7e725fcc.png



ChoGGi said:
Yeah, that phrase has been around since before computers, wouldn't that mark already be diluted?
Click to expand...

Ya, only been around since 1933
 
You can't copy right game mechanics. This has been upheld in US courts numerous times "DaVinci Editrice S.R.L. vs. Ziko Games, LLC" being I believe the most recent. Unless they sole art assets PUBG guys can go suck a goose egg.
 
JackNSally said:
PlayerUnknown worked with Daybreak...
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And he left to make PUBG not long after H1Z1 was released as an early access title. The Combat Zone update just came out in November, long after Brendan Greene left.
 
Armenius said:
And he left to make PUBG not long after H1Z1 was released as an early access title. The Combat Zone update just came out in November, long after Brendan Greene left.
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Just would seem odd for him to sue his previous employer over a game he helped make.. and had his name all over.
 
seanreisk said:
When Blizzard came out with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans they didn't try to stop the release of Westwood's Command & Conquer. They didn't try to stop Microsoft's Age of Empires, and they didn't try to stop Cavedog's Total Annihilation. In spite of this, even during the glut of RTS strategy games Blizzard still made money on their Warcraft / Starcraft series because the cream rises to the top. Good developers release good games.

Most of the ideas I've seen in PUBG have existed in other games, but Bluehole has done a good job of mixing elements into something that people feel is fresh. Now Bluehole has broken into the big money game, they're watching the bulge in their bank accounts and they have cash to burn. They've stopped being proud of their accomplishment and they've started dreaming dreams of condos and sports cars and plastic surgery. Honestly, I feel they've lost track of who they were. In my opinion, they've reached that level of rich where their cash flow is a bigger reality than their product. And now they're claiming that other people have stolen the 'fashion', the 'style' of their player environment.

Maybe they have a case - if anyone tried to move in on EA's Star Wars Battleground series they'd be instantly burned to the ground and their ashes fed to chickens, and that would be based solely on the player community's understanding of the look, lore and history of the environment. But PUBG? Not so much.

Bluehole have made a good game, they own a hot property, and they're still making money. That should be enough. Nobody wins in court.


P.S. Now we have a glut of arena-style first-person shooters. I hate it when developers won't take risks.
Click to expand...

Be careful who you make your champion, Blizzard has done plenty of bad things in the name of copyright. B.netd being the prime example.
 
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