PUBG Sues Fortnite over Copyright Infringement

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PUBG and Fortnite are two of the hottest games of the moment. While the games share some similarities, thus far they have managed to coexist without significant trouble. However, that is no longer the case since PUBG has taken Epic Games to court in South Korea over alleged copyright infringement.

PUBG and Epic Games, two gaming heavyweights, are going head to head in court.

PUBG filed a lawsuit in South Korea earlier this year, alleging that Epic copied “Fortnite” from “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (PUBG).

“We filed the suit to protect our copyright in January,” a PUBG official informed the Korea Times. On Friday the company requested an injunction at the Seoul Central District Court, hoping to stop the alleged infringement.

The report does not provide details on the alleged infringements, but the lawsuit likely accuses Epic Games of copying specific Fortnite elements from PUBG.

PUBG’s complaints are not new. Last year the Korean game developer already hinted at a lawsuit, after it accused Fortnite of being very similar. At the time, the company said that it was contemplating further action.

The lawsuit between the pair of gaming giants runs in parallel with legal action against other users and developers accused of infringing the companies’ rights. Over the past several months, Epic Games has filed several copyright infringement lawsuits against cheaters in the US, for example.

PUBG hasn’t been sitting still either. The game company recently filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the developer of the mobile games “Rules of Survival” and “Knives Out,” accusing these of copying specific elements from PUBG.

In addition, PUBG cheaters are being chased as well. Earlier this month Chinese authorities reported that fifteen people had been arrested in connection with PUBG cheating.

“We take cheating extremely seriously. Developing, selling, promoting, or using unauthorized hacking/cheating programs isn’t just unfair for others playing PUBG — in many places, it’s also against the law,” the company said, commenting on the news.

Suing Epic Games over Fortnite is definitely something of a different scope of course. With dozens of millions of players, it is a massive target, with a very active and engaged user base.

It doesn’t seem likely that PUBG’s lawsuit is going to be the end of Fortnite though. If the court agrees with PUBG, which is far from certain, the game could probably survive with alterations. Or the companies could agree to some kind of settlement, in or out of court.

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