Bungie is being sued, this time by sci-fi author Matthew Kelsey Martineau who publishes under the pen name Caspar Cole.
Martineau’s lawsuit (spotted by TheGamePost) claims that Bungie “deliberately and intentionally” copied his work for the story line of Destiny 2’s Red War campaign.
He’s calling Bungie out for copyright infringement, saying that his character Yinnerah, leader of the Red Legion in his own published works, was copied in the creation of Destiny 2 character Dominus Ghaul.
Martineau points to similarities between the characters origins and motivations, while also calling out other similarities between his Red Legion and Bungie’s Red Legion Cabal.
The lawsuit states that “The similarities between Martineau’s primary antagonist, Yinnerah, and Destiny 2’s primary antagonist, Dominus Ghaul, are striking and clearly establish more than a mere coincidence.”
“The rise of Dominus Ghaul from Destiny 2 replicates the rise of Overlord Yinnerah from Martineau’s work; they are both urged, guided, and assisted by outcast mentors (scholars) to overthrow their leaders to rise to power with the intentions of invading Earth. In both Martineau’s work (including, without limitation, “The First Defense”) and Destiny 2, rebels fend off Red Legion invaders on Earth against backdrops of burning settlements, ravaged streets, and utter chaos.”
As recompense for this alleged infringement, Martineau is seeking court orders for “Defendants to deliver to Martineau all copies of materials that infringe or violate any of Martineau’s rights described herein,” and “Requiring Defendants to provide Martineau with an accounting of any and all sales of products or services that infringe or violate any of Martineau’s rights, as described herein.”
Martineau also wants the case to go to trial, and is asking for a jury trial to settle the case. Bungie has yet to respond to the lawsuit or release a public statement in response to it.
Source – [TheGamePost via GamesIndustry.Biz]