Ubisoft Sues Novelist over Lawsuit

By now, we’ve all heard about the lawsuit brought by novelist John Beiswenger, author of the self-published Link, against Ubisoft for alleged copyright infringements he found in the Assassin’s Creed franchise of video games. Yesterday, it was reported that Beiswenger dropped the suit.

And now today Ubisoft is suing Beiswenger for having brought the suit in the first place.

Cue sad trumpet:

According to a post on Gamasutra, because he dropped the suit “without prejudice,” he legally has the option to reopen the suit at any time. Now Ubisoft is suing Beiswenger in order to clearly establish their assertion that the Assassin’s Creed games do not, in fact, infringe on Beiswenger’s work, and protect themselves against further litigation from Beiswenger over this issue.

Said Ubisoft in an official statement:

“The plaintiff in the case alleging copyright infringement by Ubisoft has dropped his claim, without settlement. Ubisoft believes this suit was frivolous and without merit, and is seeking a ruling to prevent future related claims. We are proud of our creative teams and will continue to vigorously defend the intellectual property they develop.”

The complaint filed by Ubisoft explains the motivations of the suit thusly:

“A declaration is necessary to enable Ubisoft to continue to develop and market creative content under the Assassin’s Creed brand free from the cloud that Beiswenger’s meritless claims have placed over Ubisoft’s right to do so.”

Ubisoft’s also looking for the cash from Beiswenger to cover the legal expenses associated with the suit. According to the post, the author has yet to see the complaint itself.

Normally I’m not in favor of copious lawsuit filings, especially when it’s a corporation against a single guy, this time I kind of can’t help but enjoy it. I’m sure this will all continue to be fun as it continues. Hooray for lawsuits! Let’s sue everybody!

Via Gamasutra