The Ville is an "Unmistakable Copy" of EA's The Sims Social
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced that it has filed a
lawsuit on behalf of its Maxis Label against Zynga Inc. for infringing
EA's copyrights to its Facebook game, The Sims Social.
In the complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court
for the Northern District of California on August 3, 2012, EA claims
that in Zynga's recently-released Facebook game The Ville, Zynga
has willfully and intentionally "copied and misappropriated the original
and distinctive expressive elements of The Sims Social in a
violation of U.S. copyright laws."
The Sims Social, launched in August 2011, brought the distinctive
universe of EA's world-renowned franchise, The Sims, to the
social gaming audience on Facebook. An instant hit, The Sims Social rapidly
gained tens of millions of users, and maintains a current user base
of several million active players on Facebook.
Lucy Bradshaw, General Manager of EA's Maxis Label, commented on the
lawsuit in a blog posted to EA's website, www.ea.com:
"As outlined in our complaint, when The Ville was introduced in
June 2012, the infringement of The Sims Social was unmistakable
to those of us at Maxis as well as to players and the industry at large.
The similarities go well beyond any superficial resemblance. Zynga's
design choices, animations, visual arrangements and character motions
and actions have been directly lifted from The Sims Social. The
copying was so comprehensive that the two games are, to an uninitiated
observer, largely indistinguishable. Scores of media and bloggers
commented on the blatant mimicry.
"This is a case of principle. Maxis isn't the first studio to claim that
Zynga copied its creative product. But we are the studio that has the
financial and corporate resources to stand up and do something about it.
Infringing a developer's copyright is not an acceptable practice in game
development. By calling Zynga out on this illegal practice, we hope to
have a secondary effect of protecting the rights of other creative
studios who don't have the resources to protect themselves.
"Today, we hope to be taking a stand that helps the industry protect the
value of original creative works and those that work tirelessly to
create them."
To read the entire post, visit: http://www.ea.com/news/eamaxis-sue-zynga-for-copyright-infringement.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for
Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™. More
information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass
Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.
Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden,
NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with
permission.
EA Corporate Communications
John Reseburg, 650-628-3601
jreseburg@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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