Sega sues Fox, EA over 'Simpsons' video game

[mikeetler]

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031204/media_sega_1.html

What took Sega so long to make the connection between the two games? Two years after release and someone at Sega finally bought a copy?

[neotokeo2001]

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031204/media_sega_1.html

What took Sega so long to make the connection between the two games? Two years after release and someone at Sega finally bought a copy?

You let the game go to market and sue after it has made money. You get bigger damages that way.

[GaijinPunch]

Sega will lose.
Look up all the Tetris lawsuits over the years.

[Darth Sensei]

Sega will lose.
Look up all the Tetris lawsuits over the years.

Yeah but the Tetris lawsuits were much more involved than this. I won't hash it all out here, but it wasn't about someone copying someone else, it was about someone securing rights and then Nintendo "stealing" them away afterwards.

D

[GaijinPunch]

The Tetris thing was that the original creators (I forgot who... Atari was it?) tried to sue everyone making Tetris clones. It set precedent that you can't copyright a style of a game, so to speak. I mean hell... think how many companies that make shooters would've been suing each other.

[kainemaxwell]

Geez is Sega slow...

[Astro Lad]

For an interesting case regarding an add-on which expounds on notions of "substantially similar" games, check out Micro Star v. Formgen, Inc., 154 F.3d 1107 (9th Cir. 1998). The 9th Circuit granted a preliminary injunction sought by the copyright holders of "Duke Nukem 3D" against a company seeking to distribute an add-on entitled "Nuke It" but not based on the game's content, only its use of screenshots on the box.

[Dahne]

If they win, you can bet Rockstar's gonna go after that new Simpsons GTA clone.

[zmweasel]

If they win, you can bet Rockstar's gonna go after that new Simpsons GTA clone.

Hit & Run has a couple of unique gameplay elements in comparison to GTA3/VC, whereas Road Rage was (and is) stunningly similar to Crazy Taxi. This will be a VERY interesting lawsuit to watch, with plenty of industry repercussions. And, hey, maybe it'll encourage lawsuit-wary game designers to come up with original ideas. (Wow, I managed to type that with a straight face.)

-- Z.

[orangemage]

i think sega belive fox will just settle out of court and thinks they can get some cash. i can't believe they think they will win how many GTA clones have there been?

[zmweasel]

i think sega belive fox will just settle out of court and thinks they can get some cash. i can't believe they think they will win how many GTA clones have there been?

By my count, four so far: Mafia (though it's really half Max Payne and half GTA), The Getaway (also a Payne/GTA combo), The Simpsons Hit & Run, and True Crime: Streets of L.A. What did I miss?

-- Z.

[Parodius]

Apart from Road Rage being a complete and utter rip-off, almost to the point of being a mod of CT, it is also utter garbage. How hard is it to make Crazy Taxi fun??

EA?? Fox?? Pivotal?? Anyone??

[Stark]

I guess Sega has to find ways to make money nowadays and this is probably the result of someones fantasy that those 2 games are so similar to warrant a lawsuit. I'd guess they will lose since I believe the whole Simpsons thing will warrant that game to be different than CT by its unique theme and characters but I'm no lawyer.

[ddockery]

A little off-topic, but am I the only one that didn't hate Road rage?

[Rogmeister]

No you're not. I didn't hate it and still play it on occasion...

[Raedon]

the old men of Actavision better be glad they don't live in this day and age.

[Kevin Listwan]

How the hell can you patent a type of game?

[can_dude]

maybe this is sega's way at getting back at EA after they decided to not make games for the Dreamcast, which had a very adverse effect on the systems sales (NFL 2k series was great but everyone wants a system that can play madden).

[Trellisaze]

Does anyone else find it incerdible that Sega got a patent for this in the first place?

They might have a good case for copyright infringement, but I'm wondering how something like "players take the role of a taxi driver who has to accomplish outrageous driving stunts to pick up passengers and quickly deliver them to their destinations" got patented.

[Predatorxs]

This is alittle off topic, but the tetris thing, wasn't it some guy in Russia that created the whole game, and he had the rights (kind off) stolen from him, by the then president of Russia He said at the time that "A russian made the game meaning it belonged to Russia AND it's people or more importantly it's Government"..

Leading to the Russian Government trying to take a huge cut of the then very popular (And still today! ) Tetris, Dame Him!!

I think the creator of tetris ended up moving to the US to develope other games (wordtris, etc, etc), his name is plastered all over most if not all versions of tetris, i loved the Gameboy Version, i played that game for hundreds of hours, 221 lines, man that thing was fast, What a game!

Talking of great games Splinter Cell on the Gamecube, is the Shhhh*t!!! what a game, also whens "SC 2" Coming for the GC? tell me, tell me.... Pleaaaaaase

(sorry for de-railing the topic alittle)