The creators of the “battle royale” PLAYERUNKNOWN BATTLEGROUNDS filed a lawsuit against the Chinese company NetEase. The reason for the proceedings were the mobile games Rules of Survival and Knives Out, largely repeating the style and gameplay of the original.
What happened
PUBG developers appealed to the Constitutional Court of California. They claim that NetEase has taken over a number of important game elements from PUBG without permission: buildings, landscape, transport, weapons, clothing, the game lobby and the narrowing of the safe zone over time.
In addition, Rules of Survival and Knives Out exploit the slogan “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”, which, as in the case of PUBG, welcomes the winner of the round. This phrase is also used in advertising materials of NetEase titles.
Materials of PUBG’s lawsuit against NetEase, the use of the phrase Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
Finally, both games position themselves as a mobile version of PUBG, using the fame of the original game to promote and cause confusion.
Materials of PUBG’s lawsuit against NetEase, positioning Knives Out as “mobile PUBG”
The full list of claims to NetEase games takes 155 pages.
What is PUBG Corp. trying to achieve?
In January, the creators of PUBG tried to influence NetEase through Apple, asking the company to remove games that infringe intellectual rights from the App Store. NetEase managed to refute the accusations.
After that PUBG Corp. I decided to go to court. The company expects monetary compensation for damage and the complete removal of Rules of Survival and Knives Out from stores.
“PUBG has suffered irreparable damage as a result of the defendants’ actions and will suffer damage in the future if the defendants do not cease their activities,” the lawsuit says.
Recall that PUBG Mobile was released on iOS and Android on March 18. The game is free to download.
Rules of Survival and Knives Out Earn Millions a Month
Both games generate NetEase revenue on a monthly basis. According to the Sensor Tower analytical platform, Knives Out earned $15 million in February this year, and Rules of Survival — $3 million.
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