Sony, Designer David Jaffe Sued for Alleged God of War Copyright Infringement

Game Politics is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment America and high-profile game designer David Jaffe have been sued in U.S. District Court in California for alleged copyright infringment involving the best-selling God of War series, GamePolitics has learned.

The suit was filed in late February by Jonathan Bissoon-Dath and Jennifer Barrette-Herzog, both of Davis, California. SCEA and Jaffe filed responses with the Court on August 29th.

In the complaint, Bissoon-Dath identifies himself as "the author of a series of related works of fiction, including Olympiad, a screenplay." Barrette-Herzog is described as the creator of Island at the Edge of the Living World, "a map that was submitted with Bissoon-Dath's work: The Adventures of Own: Owen's Olympic Adventure."

[Stryfeno2]

Not another lawsuit.

[cahill]

the momentum is on PS3's side now

WKS announcment , more LEVEL 5 announcements, Fall lineup with LBP

Nothing will stop the PS3 juggernaut

[Kleptic]

obviously it will be an out of court settlement in which this dude gets some money...if anything...

I first though Sony was put a suit against Jaffe...which would have been a major deal...but this...isn't...

same thing when that lady tried to slap a lawsuit on New Line and the Wachowski (sp?) bros. for the original matrix, claiming she wrote the comic originally but went uncredited...it was never settled in court to my knowledge, but New Line claimed 'it had been dealt with'...was most likely true, and New Line just threw a wad of cash at her to shut up...thats all people in that situation really want anyway...you go up against a major corporation in a case like this...and you lose...no matter who is right...take the cash pot, and let it alone...

[IzKyD1331]

Im sick of these idiots trying to sue big companies just because they can't make any money for themselves....both stories are based off Greek mythology, ofcourse their gonna have similarities (tthe similarities they mentioned are bullsh!t anyway)

[Le-mo]

When I first read the title I thought Sony was suing David Jaffe. Back on topic, this lawsuit won't go anywhere.

[Rick Astley]

David Jaffe is a smart man. He'll get himself out of this before the day's over.

[Relcom]

Your right Astley, he is half way to mexico right now. They will never catch David RUN!!

On topic this is probably Bollocks, Greek mythology is pretty popular. I'm sure their are similarities, doesn't mean its infrinegment

[n4gzz]

It seems the idea is definitely taken from this author. This is shame when multibillion company steal some poor man's idea blindly instead of paying little money in agreement 'coz they have better lawyer. It happens all the time, nothing new here.

[nbsmatambo]

this was badly edited, i thought Sony was suing him too lol....

[rdgneoz3]

n4gzz, if the idea was taken from the author, why did he wait this long to file a complaint against David Jaffe. You figure if he did come up with the idea he'd file after the first game was originally made, not several months before the 3rd one comes out. He's probably just trying to get some money from a multibillion dollar company because they came up with a great series. And as others have said, people have used Greek mythology for games and movies, its not like a completely original idea.

[n4gzz]

May be you are right. I know in my real life one of the singer stole my friend's song blindly. He never sued him 'coz he didn't have that kind of money and he would have lost the case anyway. So, when story like this pops up, i just think that it could have some truth if not all.

[Ju]

Somebody should sue these two guys in the first place (Bissoon-Dath and Barrette-Herzog), in fact they ripped off greek mythology. lol. US Law.

[tplarkin7]

I've always thought David Jaffe was not that smart. Particularly since he gave up after the first GoW. If I made a successful game, I would not abandon it and then make a DLC game called "Calling All Cars". I wouldn't be surprised if he did plagiarize it.

[Lord Anubis]

his hands don't fuse into two swords. It would be nice for GOW3

[Cajun Chicken]

It sounds like this man 'ripped off' basic plotline concepts from such popular culture as Conan the Barbarian, Clash of the Titans, Red Sonja but shoved in Greek mythology and is claiming to sue David Jaffe and SCE for it just because his arms glew like lightsabres (Lucas! Sue!).

That's some weak claim, not even 1/4 obvious as the whole Psi-Ops claim years ago, which I do believe, never got sorted out. Even though it should of.

[EvilCackle]

Jaffe totally owes royalties to the ancient Greeks.

[TheColbertinator]

Too bad they are'nt alive to pick up the cash

[meepmoopmeep]

lmao

+bubbles

only in America can you get rich so easily

[Kleptic]

I am a decendant of Sparta though...i've been waiting for several checks from SCE, Frank Miller, and Michigan State University, as their mascot was my uncle...

in fact, i haven't checked my mail today...brb...

[Bloodwar]

is going to expect a cut. hehe

[Atomic]

I didn't know you can copyright mythology.

[El_Colombiano]

Haha.

[DevilVergilX]

I love your avatar!!! It goes so well with your comment lol!

[kitzuki]

They will probably play it like comic books how you cant claim copyrights for same story different names.

[SCThor]

hahahaaaa

[Aclay]

God of War is taken from Greek Mythology, the writer that wrote that story didn't "invent" or "create" Greek Mythology. It's probably just a coincidence that the God of War story coincides with that writer's story....just another guy trying to cash in... fail.

[yog-sothot]

why the hell do they come with that complaint only now ???

Oh wait, that's because the game is a very valuable IP and so they hope to get more money out of that stupid suit... I guess soon they'll demand that all copies of the game are burned or something...

[kevnb]

when does God of War 3 come out?

[heyheyhey]

w.....t......f?

what's next then?, someone attached a machine gun to their car before the Playstation was created...... and now they're suing Sony for making Twisted Metal or something?

@below

well it was generally a reference to companies pointlessly suing Sony all the time, but i guess i subconsciously made the connection between Jaffe and Twisted Metal

[Kleptic]

funny that that suit would be towards Jaffe as well...or was that the joke?...

[The gaming GOD]

God of war as a franchise has been out for years now. And this person with a "complaint" is JUST now pressing a "copyright" infringement lawsuit?

Unless this person is saying he himself invented Greek mythology, I doubt there is any copyright being compromised here.

I hate the fact that people can sue for almost ANYTHING. But then again, we live in a society where fat people sued Mcdonalds for "making" them fat and won. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

[Kleptic]

that was Burger King, and the suit was thrown out of court...the only reason it got some publicity is because some high profile defense attorney tried to take it to court...McDonalds big one was the hot coffee deal...which was settled for several million...never heard of any other McD related suits like that though...

[The gaming GOD]

I remember the Burger King one as well. But some people did to the same thing to McDonalds.

And as for that second one you're taling about with the Hot Coffee. It was her own dang fault. She shouldn't have been driving with a cup of hot coffee between her legs in the first place. And secondly, she said it was "too hot". What the hell? Coffee is meant to be hot. And what REALLY cheesed me off is that she got millions

I really hate the things people get away with

[dinkeldinkse]

I agree that the coffee suit was stupid, but McDonald's screwed themselves because they were serving the coffee above the regulated maximum. Like thirty degrees above or so,that's why they had to pay her.

[The gaming GOD]

Good call. It was above the normal heat.

But still man, between her legs driving with coffee......

[bunbun777]

a few times actually and while it hurts for a second, regular coffee isnt that bad- smells good but it looks like you pissed yourself. And that suit was mentioned in Super Size Me, 2 young women attempted to sue not due to McDonald's putting 2000 calories in a McGriddle, but because they weren't warned of the possible consequences. It was thrown out but the Judge did make a comment about "McFrankin Nuggets" and you can figure that one out.

[X]

Actually, she was the passenger

And the car wasn't moving either when she spilled it

edit: It's on wiki, but the link isn't working here

[Mad_Rhetoric]

wtf?

[kingme71]

Where have they been the last 3 years?

ToDo list:
pick up drycleaning
get some milk
sue Sony(got to stop putting this off)
write story about some helmeted guy and the Covenant - mail it to MS (post date it to 2003).

[PimpHandStrong]

for giving the world myths and gods

[uie4rhig]

and they're coming with this in 2008 (almost end of it) why exactly?

[Tsalagi]

My guess is that when the first GOW was made Jaffe worked for Sony and these guys were afraid to take on a multinational corporation but now that he is an independent dev they think they have a chance of winning or he'll simply pay them off.

[uie4rhig]

these guys are also suing Sony.. soo..

[SRuN4]

So can other military shooter devs sue other military shooter devs for copyright infringement?

Cause this is just as stupid as that would be. And last time I check nobody holds the copyright to Greek mythology.

[juuken]

...-.-
Fail.

This guy doesn't own copyrights to mythology.

[MAGNUM-RAM]

I'm a sony soilder. These people will pay by my hand. Ha ha ha!
kidding.

This story reminds me of ... God of war.
No such thing as bad publicity except in the case of
microsoft.

Btw stock market crashed big time in new York!
worst crash everrrr.
Microcrap aint gonna get that advertising money after all.
all they got is the Internet to spread thier pack of lies.

Ha ha ha!

[pixelsword]

...yeah; No character in god of war is original in respect to the greek fables, not even Kratos...

The writer should've read about Greek mythology before filing a lawsuit. I will be interested in how this turns out.

[beavis4play]

i'd love to have been at the meeting where a lawyer explains to these people how they can win this lawsuit. what nonsense.

[Raoh]

LOL seems like someone is trying to take sony from different angles

new dvd formats and digital download claims to dismiss blu ray

the layer burning method that asks that ps3 stop production and recall but wont go after other dvd burning media

the GoW lawsuit

behind closed door dealings meant to thwart ps3 popularity..

patent ownership battles...

someone is out to get stop the ps3

but... Why? and Who? for what reason?

who would have the most to gain from Sony's Playstation demise?.. who? who? who?

hmmmm

this is a tough one

[Nathan2587]

A few grassy knolles and a shooter short of a conspiracy aren't we?

*raises eyebrow*

[AssassinHD]

Man this guy is going to fail hard. God of War was released on March 22, 2005. The copyright for Adventures of Owen : Owen’s olympic adventure was filed December 13, 2006.

Edit: Before anyone argues, the creation date is 2002 but the copyright registration date is 2006.

[DJ]

Filing date is all that matters.

[DJ]

The whole point of GOW was for Kratos to kill Ares, not save Athens. The next two claims are ridiculous since they exist in a sh*tload of movies, and real-life locations. Main character's family is killed; familiar plot device. Sagging suspension bridge; come on.

The fact that his script directly copies Star Wars with the term "like light sabers" is pretty funny though.

[Silly Mammo]

I'm suing every software company who has released a RPG, since I wrote a story in high school about a young farmboy who unbeknowest to him that he is actually the last remaining King of a far off land and he must now destroy the dark forces threatening to destory the kingdom...

[Silogon]

Swinging Bridges, Glowing swords, Greek Gods, Families slain, it all seems so original to begin with, doesn't it? I think they both should be sued.

This stupid ass who "Says" he wrote this needs to suck it up. It's not going anywhere. I wrote a movie once, really good one too, and sat down and watched a movie called "Dead End" and was like, wow... that's an awful lot like my movie, only kind of sort of, though. See, mine didn't suck and Dead end did.

See how that works? This case is going nowhere and I hope Sony gives these 2 idiots who filed the suit a few pork and bean nights for their trouble. Broke ass people.

[AssassinHD]

I posted this in the Gamer Zone but figured I would put it here too.

God of War was released March 22, 2005

The copyright for Adventures of Owen : Owen’s Olympic Adventure was filed December 13, 2006.

[RAY017]

Oh cool, they gave us the names of the 2 guys, LETS KILL THOSE FOKERS!!!

[RAY017]

Im just kiddin, dont worry. But they still suck

[Serg]

A poor try to get a piece of the cake that GoW has baked. Hey I once wrote a story in school about a guy travelling to Afrika and finding nothing but zombies! I'm gonna go sue Capcom now for stealing my idea. This is so stupid... Remember when god sued the makers of StarTrek because Kirk is travelling in the universe he created?

America should really change this. I am beginning to fear that when I would go to america and eat a burger, some guy comes up to me with a lawsuit that says: The technique I used to eat this thing was invented by <Insert name here> and I had no right to eat the burger this way...

[Gambit07]

If Jennifer Barrette-Herzo is a MILF, David will be in court early.

[BIGELLOW]

...she'd have to be a VILF.

[BIGELLOW]

...I am going to write a HUGE story that contains every possible literary trope and background imaginable. It will involve Greek Mythology, space battles, sagging bridges, archaeologists, whips, guns, lasers, swords, and snakes. Each chapter will cover a new time, location, and concept. It will have millions of characters from Zeus to that criminal that you sympathize with. It will even have a giant robotic spider. The book doesn't need to sell well... and doesn't need to be a literary masterpiece... it just needs to cover each and every possible angle imaginable.

Then, I will proceed with lawsuits for the remaining years of my life. Genius!

Ok, well, maybe not. This guy is lame.

If the entire story from start to finish it clearly mirrored, he might have a case. Finding little bits and pieces that match other little bits and pieces is just not enough justification. Otherwise, you could have The Mummy battling Indiana Jones battling Lara Croft over who first created the idea of a bas-ass intellectual who crawls around through tombs, pyramids, etc...

[KiddyBrownTurd]

no wonder the game was so good. he can't come-up with his own game! hahahAHHAhahhaha

[ShinMaster]

The game was released before the alleged book.

[rbanke]

Welcome to the United States, where we reward success with targets on your back.

[Fanboy Slaughter]

These two hacks probably saw this from the start, sat on it to see if it became AAA material, and when it did and then some, they decided to strike.

Not only are they a day late and a dollar short, they're three years, three games late, and about $300 million short.

Gotta love litigation.

[sak500]

Hahahah serves the idiot jaffe for being a 40 year old virgin.

[TheHater]

you is the only virgin I see around here. Go back to your blowup doll now b!tch

[sak500]

Come back when you have learned english and your balls have dropped.

[TheHater]

at least I got some balls, unlike you. That strap on you have don't count.

[psycho360]

@ Hater.

I think the balls on your face doesnt count.

[smurfie4]

I guess the greeks should file a lawsuit against this guy for using their mythology. This is retarded. 0_0

[Enigma_2099]

Anyone suprised? Now the real question would be, did this id10t decide to do this himself, or was the idea planted in his head by someone else...

And God of War I and II have been out so long, they're practically bargain bin games.... which reminds me, I REALLY need to get II... so why wait until NOW?!?!?!

[xg-ei8ht]

If anyone mentions atlantis i'm gonna sue.

additional adlib with above,water,rocks,treasure,gol d.

Any mention of these words will and i will b like a monkey on your back.

[cheapndirty]

Welcome to America the land of litigation....