AM General, the manufacturers behind the Humvee military vehicle, is suing Activision Blizzard over the inclusion of Humvee vehicles in the Call of Duty franchise as reported by Automotive News.
For those who may have been living under a rock, Call of Duty is a franchise of first-person shooters that take place across various time periods. The series was generally doing alright for a shooter until its popularity exploded with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007 which changed the setting from World War 2 to the modern day.
A modern-day depiction of warfare means the use of modern guns and vehicles, and the Humvee vehicle manufactured by AM General features in some of the games as background decoration. Occasionally, the player would be a passenger in a Humvee for a chase scene or an on-rails turret section such as during the first mission of Modern Warfare 2.
A complaint was filed on Tuesday night in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. In the complaint, AM General alleges that the success of the blockbuster franchise published by Activision Blizzard is "only at the expense of AM General and consumers who are deceived into believing that AM General licenses the games or is somehow connected with or involved in the creation of the games." The vehicle manufacturer is seeking compensatory, punitive, and triple damages from the game's publisher following a year's worth of negotiations breaking down. Activision Blizzard spokeswoman Mary Osako has stated that the company does not discuss pending litigation.
The most recently released game in the franchise is Call of Duty: WWII which is decidedly not set in the modern day. You can get it on Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
What do you think of the legal complaint put forth by Humvee manufacturer American Motors General? Do you think they have a case against Activision Blizzard? Let us know in the comments below!
