Page 1 of 1 [ 5 posts ] 

Aspiegaming
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Sep 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,082
Location: Hagerstown, MD

10 Nov 2012, 8:44 am

In 2007, Silicon Knights sued Epic Games for failure to "provide a working game engine", causing the Ontario based game developer to "experience considerable losses." Silicon Knights' suit alleged that Epic was "sabotaging" Unreal Engine 3 licensees. Epic's licensing document stated that a working version of the engine would be available within six months of the Xbox 360 developer kits being released. Silicon Knights claimed that Epic not only missed this deadline, but that when a working version of the engine was eventually released, the documentation was insufficient. They also claimed Epic had withheld vital improvements to the game engine, claiming they were "game specific", while also using licensing fees to fund development of their own titles rather than the engine itself.

On August 9, 2007, Epic Games counter-sued Silicon Knights, claiming that they were using its engine without paying royalties. On May 30th, 2012 Epic Games defeated Silicon Knights' lawsuit, and won its counter-suit for $4.45 Million USD on grounds of copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, and breach of contract.

Consistent with Epic's counterclaims, the presiding judge stated that Silicon Knights had "deliberately and repeatedly copied thousands of lines of Epic Games’ copyrighted code, and then attempted to conceal its wrongdoing by removing Epic Games’ copyright notices and by disguising Epic Games’ copyrighted code as Silicon Knights’ own". As a result, on November 7, 2012, Silicon Knights was directed by the court to destroy all game code derived from Unreal Engine 3, all information from licensee-restricted areas of Epic's Unreal Engine documentation website, and to permit Epic Games access to the company's servers and other devices to ensure these items have been removed. In addition, they were instructed to recall and destroy all retail copies of games built with Unreal Engine 3 code, including Too Human, X-Men Destiny, The Sandman, The Box/Ritualyst, and Siren in the Maelstrom.
Source: Wikipedia

Wow, They're even going so far as to take the games from the shelves and destroy the discs. Better keep the ones we already have. They're about to go up in value.


_________________
I am sick, and in so being I am the healthy one.

If my darkness or eccentricness offends you, I don't really care.

I will not apologize for being me.


SabbraCadabra
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,694
Location: Michigan

12 Nov 2012, 6:11 pm

O_O


_________________
I'm looking for Someone to change my life. I'm looking for a Miracle in my life.


Sagroth
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Dec 2011
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 590
Location: Kansas

14 Nov 2012, 2:53 am

Silicon Knights is doomed. There is no way they survive this.

I'd feel worse if their last few games hadn't been complete turds.

And considering that they brought the lawsuit in the first place, the very literally brought this on themselves.


_________________
KWATZ!


SabbraCadabra
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,694
Location: Michigan

14 Nov 2012, 6:12 am

Their original lawsuit wasn't unreasonable, though.

This counter-suit, however, is the very definition of unreasonable...

It's like they said something mean about Cartman, so he killed SK's parents, turned them into chili, and made them eat it.


_________________
I'm looking for Someone to change my life. I'm looking for a Miracle in my life.


Aspiegaming
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Sep 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,082
Location: Hagerstown, MD

14 Nov 2012, 7:52 am

SabbraCadabra wrote:
It's like they said something mean about Cartman, so he killed SK's parents, turned them into chili, and made them eat it.


That was the darkest South Park episode in history.


_________________
I am sick, and in so being I am the healthy one.

If my darkness or eccentricness offends you, I don't really care.

I will not apologize for being me.