Booker T versus Activision

WWE Hall of Famer Sues ‘Call of Duty’ Publishers for Copyright Infringement

Video game’s ‘Prophet’ character draws too heavily from Booker T. creation ‘G.I. Bro’

HOUSTON –WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Huffman has filed a copyright infringement suit against the publishers of the video game franchise “Call of Duty,” claiming its character “Prophet” is too similar to the “G.I. Bro” comic book action hero character he created based on one of his early pro wrestling personas. 

The 2018 release Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 prequel depicts the pre-cybernetics Prophet which bears striking similarities to G.I. Bro, a special operations soldier created and copyrighted by Mr. Huffman from the Houston suburb of Friendswood. 

“When seen side-by-side there can be no question that this character was copied from G.I. Bro. From the hair, body type and clothing, right down to facial expressions, the similarities are too profound to be an accident,” said Micah Dortch of the Dallas office of the Potts Law Firm. Mr. Huffman is represented by Mr. Dortch and Houston attorney Patrick Zummo with the Law Offices of Patrick Zummo. 

Since the 2015 release of the G.I. Bro and the Dragon of Death Preview and G.I. Bro and the Dragon of Death comic books, Mr. Huffman has appeared at a number of events dressed as G.I. Bro to promote the titles.

In the first three days of its release by Activision Publishing Inc., Activision Blizzard Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp., Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 sold more than $500 million in physical copies and downloads. Total sales to date are thought to exceed $1 billion. 

“Booker T. has devoted a significant amount of time and money creating and organically growing his G.I. Bro character,” said Mr. Dortch. “That entrepreneurial investment should not be erased by such a blatant act of copyright infringement by a gaming juggernaut.”

The case is Booker T. Huffman v. Activision Publishing, Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp. filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. 

Barry Pound | Androvett

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R.I.P. Disney Infinity... is Amiibo next? Hmmm

Disney tried to get in with Disney Infinity and stay up on what hit big for Activision (via the Skylanders series) but with the recent news from Disney... reveals that it didn't work out the way they'd hoped as far as growth is concerned. Why? Well... they are not only ditching the toys-to-life franchise, they are also getting out of the game publishing business.

Dang... that's cold.

Does this mean they are completely done with gaming? Ummmm... its a bit more complicated than that. Instead of developing and publishing games themselves... Disney plans on sticking to licensing-only, think of what they did with Star Wars Battlefront published by EA. This isn't a bad thing as long as the games are done right.

If Disney ditched the toys-to-life franchise due to analysts like Liam Callahan (NPD game industry analyst) believing that sales will decline in the genre this year (2016)... it may cause some to wonder how it will affect Skylanders and even Nintendo's Amiibo. I think it would impact Activision more than it would Nintendo (i'll explain), don't worry. 

While Amiibo can be used for games... they are not a requirement for the games for the most part, and one of the only games I know of that truly requires Amiibo is the "Mini Mario and Friends Amiibo Challenge" (and that's free).

Beyond fans of the series losing out on the next installment of a game some have invested heavily in, Disney's Avalanche Software (not to be confused with the Just Cause series developer...Avalanche Studios) is experiencing something like an avalanche as their doors are being closed as a result of the decision. That's 300 or so people out of work... talk about a bad day. I hope that the team bounces back and goes indie to deliver their own unique games. I won't say that its something that Disney should be hated for if they are trying to cut their loses before it leads to greater loss but I think it could've been done differently. According to the chairman it wasn't an easy decision... but that doesn't make the situation for the fans and dev team any better. 

"This was a difficult decision that we did not take lightly given the quality of Disney Infinity and its many passionate fans..." - Jimmy Pitaro | Chairman of Consumer Products & Interactive Media (Disney)

From a business standpoint... when support begins to decline or is lacking all together, things like this can and will happen, so support what you enjoy to keep it alive and well (if you can afford to).

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