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Capcom Files Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Koei Tecmo
Capcom has started a legal battle with another venerable Japanese game publisher, citing copyright infringement.
A report by the Japanese site Sankai states that Capcom has filed a suit against Tecmo Koei, stating that Tecmo Koei has infringed on concepts that Capcom has patented. The filing was a bit unclear, but the patented concepts revolve around the ability to import content from old games into expansion packs. The suit also cites patents involving controller vibration alerting players to nearby enemies.
Capcom says that 50 Koei games have infringed on its patents, including Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends. Capcom is seeking licensing fees from all past sales of this Tecmo Koei titles, and also wants the court to suspend sales of the games until the suit is resolved.
[Source: Sankai via Siliconera]
Our Take:
Given that this report is translated from Japanese, it's hard to make a judgement about its relevance. However, some of the game functionality mentioned in the report has been used in many games by many developers, not just Capcom and Tecmo Koei.
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