PUBG Corp. has filed a copyright lawsuit against Epic Games. The former has claimed that there are too many similarities between PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds and Fortnite Battle Royale, therefore claiming that Epic has made copyright infringements.
The claimant filed this motion over at the Seoul Central District Court. Korean Times reported that the suit was filed earlier this year, but the issue with Epic goes back way September 2017.
The original claim that PUBG Corp. has taken last year did not include battle royale mechanics and UI similarities. Their initial fear is that since PUBG is based on Unreal Engine, Epic Games, now their main competitor on the genre, would not allow PUBG Corp. to have engine upgrades to benefit their game.
This is a strange claim to make, since last month, PUBG Corp. has filed lawsuits against the NetEase, maker of Rules of Survival and Knives Out. Their claim against the company covers a long list of in-game similarities between their own mobile game, and PUBG. The case was stretching it out, even calling out the frying pan weapon that PUBG claimed were unique to it.
It’s interesting to take note that this timing of filing a case against Epic Games is in conjunction with Epic’s plan to release Fortnite in cybercafes all over South Korea. This is possible due to Epic’s agreement with Korean publisher Neowiz Games.
What do you guys think? Is this PUBG’s scare tactic ploy to prevent a strong competitor from debuting in one of their strongholds in Asia? Or does PUBG Corp. actually have something here that is eligible for copyright infringement strikes?
[Source: VG 24/7]
