Author Files Lawsuit re: Assassin’s Creed III and Copyrights
THIS IS NOT A GAME: PENNSYLVANIA-BASED AUTHOR ENRAGES GAMING COMMUNITY BY FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST THE THIRD LARGEST INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER OF VIDEO GAMES WORLDWIDE
Author John L. Beiswenger’s Lawsuit Against Ubisoft and Gametrailers
Threatens to Delay Release of Much Anticipated Assassin’s Creed III
(PENNSYLVANIA, April 20, 2012)—American author and research engineer, John L. Beiswenger, hit a visceral nerve in the gaming community this week when The Keller Law Firm, LLC filed a lawsuit on his behalf against Ubisoft and Gametrailers, alleging that the storyline behind the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise features many similarities to one of his novels, LINK.
Ubisoft is the third largest independent publisher of video games worldwide, and according to their website, the Assassin’s Creed series is their top selling franchise with more than 38 million units sold since its release in 2007. Assassin’s Creed III, set to be released in October, is on track to become the highest pre-ordered game in the company’s history. However, a court-ordered injunction could derail that release and has set gaming fans on the warpath against Beiswenger.
Kelley Clements Keller, Esq., spokesperson and legal representative for Beiswenger, said, “We appreciate the passionate pleas of loyal fans [of the game series] for us to call off this action, but the issue here is enforcing Mr. Beiswenger’s federally registered rights in his copyrighted work. No company or individual has the right to usurp any such protected content for their own personal gain.”
Beiswenger’s book, LINK, was published in 2003. The plot includes the conception and creation of the Link device and process through which the user accesses, relives, and re-experiences the memories of the user’s ancestors. The Assassin’s Creed video game series’ plot is based on the Animus device and process, through which the user accesses, relives, and re-experiences the memories of the user’s ancestors.
The initial Complaint and Motion for Preliminary Injunction were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on April 17, 2012.
