Ubisoft Files Complaint Against Author Over “Entirely Meritless” Lawsuit

Ubisoft filed a complaint against American science-fiction author John Beiswenger for filing his “entirely meritless” copyright infringement lawsuit in a bid to settle a long-running copyright dispute.

Back in April, John Beiswenger had taken Ubisoft to court over claims the publisher infringed some of his copyrights to create the Assassin’s Creed universe. Ubisoft branded Beiswenger’s claims as “entirely meritless” and pursued legal action.

But recently Beiswenger backed away from the fight and voluntarily dropped Assassin’s Creed lawsuit. If you’re wondering why Ubisoft is still pursuing legal action on a lawsuit that has been withdrawn, there is a good reason. Beiswenger’s lawsuit was ended “without prejudice” — which means that he was free to make claims of copyright infringement against Ubisoft anytime in the future.

According to Gamasutra, Ubisoft has filed a complaint against Beiswenger, as it looks to seek a declaration of rights that Assassin’s Creed does not in fact infringe on the author’s alleged copyright.

“The plaintiff in the case alleging copyright infringement by Ubisoft has dropped his claim, without settlement,” the company said in a statement. “Ubisoft believes this suit was frivolous and without merit, and is seeking a ruling to prevent future related claims.

“We are proud of our creative teams and will continue to vigorously defend the intellectual property they develop.”

In the complaint, Ubisoft states Beiswenger’s claims were filed on “patently non-copyrightable elements,” and the firm has filed in order to ensure continued development and to “market creative content under the Assassin’s Creed brand free from the cloud that Beiswenger’s meritless claims have placed over Ubisoft’s right to do so.”

Ubisoft is seeking to recoup costs and expenses incurred as part of the lawsuit and If Ubisoft is successful in getting a ruling that the original suit was meritless, the door will be closed to further legal action on Beiswenger’s part.

Assassin’s Creed III will release on October 30 for PC, PS3, Xbox360 and Wii U.