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Once again, Riot Games is taking a Chinese mobile gaming rival to court over claims that itâs illegally copying intellectual property from its popular âLeague of Legendsâ franchise.
In recent years, West Los Angeles-based Riot has grown increasingly frustrated with a competing game developer called Moonton, which Riot claims is stealing IP and promotional tactics from âLeague of Legendsâ to use in a competing mobile title called âMobile Legends: Bang Bang.â
Last year, Shanghai-based Moonton was acquired for $4 billion by ByteDance. Yes, that ByteDanceâthe Chinese tech firm that owns video-sharing giant TikTok, whose Culver City offices are not far from Riotâs Sawtelle headquarters.
The latest legal spat, now playing out in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, is part of a larger battle between ByteDance and Tencentâthe rival Chinese tech conglomerate that took control of Riot Games in 2015âfor control over whatâs become a lucrative mobile gamer base. According to digital research firm Sensor Tower, games like âMobile Legends: Bang Bang,â which fall into the mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) category, generated more than $300 million in average monthly revenues globally last year, up 14% from 2020.
In its lawsuit, Riot alleges that Moontonâs âMobile Legendsââwhich counts 500 million downloads on Android since its release in 2016ârips off the aesthetic, characters and even the title of Riotâs âLeague of Legendsâ franchise, which was created in 2009. The complaint claims that since 2015, Moonton has engaged in a âdeliberate and sustained campaign to free ride on Riotâs highly valuable rightsâ for âLeague of Legends,â calling the situation âblatant copying.â Riot actually sued Moonton in the same court in 2017 making the same argumentâbut a judge dismissed the suit, arguing that it should be heard in China instead. Now, Riot is trying its case again.
This time, Riot is taking issue with Moonton allegedly lifting from its newest âLeague of Legendsâ title, âWild Rift,â which was released in the U.S. early last year. âNew characters, settings, and objects are regularly copied from âWild Rift,ââ Riot notes in its new lawsuit, which was filed May 9. âMoonton often copies the modifications and updates, such that both games look and feel highly similar to gamers.â
In its complaint, Riot requests that Moonton return any profits it gained in the U.S. from copying its âLeague of Legendsâ games. â[Monday]âs filing follows years of serial copying,â a Riot spokesperson said in a statement to dot.LA. âThis copying must stop.â
Representatives for Moonton and ByteDance could not be reached for comment. â Samson Amore
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What Weâre Reading Elsewhere...
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