59 replies to this topic

[Aisu]

Right.. So apparently, an author is suing Ubisoft because they took ideas form his book to make Assassin's Creed. He is just now doing this after Assassin's Creed for being out for 5 years. He wants 1-5$ million along with the stop of the working on and promotion of AC3.

What are your opinions on this?

Link to article: http://www.videogame...creed_plot.html

[HijackAttack]

If they did take stuff from the book, then he deserves the money.
But stopping AC3? No. Just...no.

[Koko]

If they did take stuff from the book, then he deserves the money.
But stopping AC3? No. Just...no.

It could happen if too much evidence is found showing that they practically stole stuff from his book's concept.

[Aisu]

Hijack: I agree with you there, if they took it from him, then let him have his share...

But I highly doubt anyone from the AC Team, let alone anyone from Ubisoft, has heard of the book until now.

It's also been 5 years and 6+ games since AC first came out.. Why is he JUST NOW suing them? Something's not right.

[Koko]

Hijack: I agree with you there, if they took it from him, then let him have his share...

But I highly doubt anyone from the AC Team, let alone anyone from Ubisoft, has heard of the book until now.

It's also been 5 years and 6+ games since AC first came out.. Why is he JUST NOW suing them? Something's not right.

Is there a point to suing a gaming franchise which will never take off? Perhaps he thought it'd flop and everyone would ignore it. Can't blame the dude either. I mean, if it wasn't a big deal, he wouldn't even be able to charge much for it also.

[HijackAttack]

What's the name of the book, anyways?

[Phantom Roxas]

He's suing them over the Animus? The completely idiotic framing device for the entire series? Honestly, I'm rooting for the writer.

It's also been 5 years and 6+ games since AC first came out.. Why is he JUST NOW suing them? Something's not right.

Because he didn't know about it.

[HijackAttack]

Always saw Anumis as a plot device.
Especially the Anumis 2, because they just HAPPENED to have another one.
If this stops AC3, I am going to brutally murder many small animals.

[Phantom Roxas]

The Animus is a stupid concept, as it's scientifically impossible. I know that there are other things that are equally inaccurate, some of which I actually am a fan of, but the Animus strikes me as particularly stupid. Unlike Link, I don't think Assassin's Creed actually manages to explain how memories are encoded to DNA other than just saying "We found a way." Maybe this is explained later in the game or series, but for I can only shake my head.

[Doc.]

*COUGH* CASTLEVANIA *COUGH*
But wait, Bram Stoker isnt alive, oh well...

Also, AC3 will probably be the last game in the series, and after the disapointment that was AC:R, AC3 never seeing the light of day will piss me off so much I will loot the author of "Link"'s house, murder his wife (but not his children) then kill him.

[Dwarven King]

Hey...I wrote a short story before about Aliens attacking Earth...then the movie Skyline came out. Can I sue whoever made Skyline?

[Shradow]

I like how one of his arguments is that AC has religious overtones and references religious stuff. I didn't know he owned the Bible.

This is just a publicity stunt and an optimistic cash grab. I don't know about anyone else, but I've never even heard of this guy or his books before today.

[Phantom Roxas]

I think you're missing the point. It's okay to have some similarities to other works, but the more there are, the more likely it is that it's a ripoff.

[Shradow]

Pretty much everything is a ripoff nowadays (Not for lack of trying, it's just if there's an idea, it's almost certainly been made before.). If stuff like this worked, Mojang could sue a ton of people for copying Minecraft, then they would get sued by Zachtronics who owned Infiniminer, where Notch got the idea for Minecraft from.

[Hydra of Ages]

The Animus is a stupid concept, as it's scientifically impossible.

Like, for example, all fiction ever.

Yes yes, I know, Willing Suspension of Disbelief. Except the Animus is literally the first thing the player learns about the Assassin's Creed universe, so it's not incongruous with any previous continuity. No, they didn't explain it; it doesn't matter. It's a video game, bogging you down with superfluous details in a misguided attempt to make the world somehow more "Hard" sci-fi in a game where Da Vinci apparently co-operated with a secret cabal of Assassins is both pointless and unnecessary.

Anyway, this entire case is a farce. Copyright doesn't cover High Concept, which is why I could write a book about a person that experiences time looping and not be sued by the makers of Groundhog Day, and while the plot elements appear superficially similar, the content of both is radically different. Keep in mind that Ubisoft is a massive company with good lawyers highly specialized in just this sort of field, verses a relatively unknown singular author.

(Disclaimer: I haven't actually played Assassin's Creed and all of my information is second hand, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any factual information.)

[Dwarven King]

Here, let me tell you how this situation arose.

Author - "Oh crap! I'm in debt! I need some money!" *starts freaking out* "Wait! I wrote a book! Maybe someone has made something and used some small idea that I used in my book and then got rich!" *searches internet* "Hey! Ubisoft used a contraption to see ancestor's memories in their Assassin's Creed Game and my book has a device that does something similar! I'm going to sue them!"

And thus it began.

I think you're missing the point. It's okay to have some similarities to other works, but the more there are, the more likely it is that it's a ripoff.

"Hey! That guy wrote a story about hunting a whale! Let's sue him for copying Moby Dick!"

See where I'm going? Suing people over something stupid like similarities when we all know that Party A does not know Party B is plain idiotic.

[Shradow]

Isn't there something in the law about high concept?

[Phantom Roxas]

Here, let me tell you how this situation arose.

Author - "Oh crap! I'm in debt! I need some money!" *starts freaking out* "Wait! I wrote a book! Maybe someone has made something and used some small idea that I used in my book and then got rich!" *searches internet* "Hey! Ubisoft used a contraption to see ancestor's memories in their Assassin's Creed Game and my book has a device that does something similar! I'm going to sue them!"

And thus it began.

Here's how it really happened.

Beiswenger only recently became aware of the alleged copyright infringement, Kelley Clements Keller, owner of The Keller Law Firm, said.
“He’s not a gamer himself, but it was brought to his attention by someone close to him who had read his book and told him the video games were using the same idea,” she explained.
Beiswenger said that when the person told him it was like his book, at first he thought the person was wrong, but as he watched the video game, the similarities were unmistakeable.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Hey, that’s neat, they liked the book.’ But then when I found out how much they liked it and what the game was like, it didn’t relate to the book at all. I felt damaged at that point,” he said.

"Hey! That guy wrote a story about hunting a whale! Let's sue him for copying Moby Dick!"

See where I'm going? Suing people over something stupid like similarities when we all know that Party A does not know Party B is plain idiotic.

Do we even know if Ubisoft is unaware of these books?

[Shradow]

Wait, he's suing them after his initial reaction being "it didn't relate to the book at all"?

[Dwarven King]

Here's how it really happened.





Do we even know if Ubisoft is unaware of these books?

*facedesk*

Ok, so his "friend" took five years to realize that his book was being copied. Oh, did I mention that I don't watch TV and so I never heard of the show The Walking Dead and that I was just told that it was similar to the story I just wrote?

Wait, he's suing them after his initial reaction being "it didn't relate to the book at all"?

Rofl, I just caught that. I know where Ubisoft's lawyers are going to start! ;D