A Fortnite leaker is being sued by Epic Games, alleging that the defendant broke a non-disclosure agreement.
The leaker — known online as @invisiblellama9 as reported by Polygon— had revealed information of the now-released Fortnite Chapter 2, a series of massive changes that made their way into the game. These changes included boats, swimming, fishing, the ability to carry downed squadmates, and a whole new island.
As a result of the leaks, Epic Games has filed a lawsuit in a North Carolina court.
The Fortnite Leaker Lawsuit, Summarized
The essence of the Fortnite leaker lawsuit comes down to this one paragraph from the full briefing:
Epic is suing Sykes because he broke his contractual obligation to keep Epic’ssecrets about the upcoming season of Fortnite®, Epic’s popular video game. Information iscurrency. Sykes cashed in on what he learned as a User Experience tester for Epic. He did so atthe expense of Epic and those in the Fortnite community who were anxiously awaiting the newseason of Fortnite only to have some of Epic’s planned surprises spoiled by Sykes’ leaks
In light of the leaks, Epic Games is seeking injunctive relief and the maximum possible damages for allegedly misappropriating what they consider trade secrets. It may sound silly to you or me, but secret upcoming content for a game (especially one as big as Fortnite) could be seen to be just as valuable as the next burger that McDonald's is coming out with.
Whether the defendant settles or chooses to fight this in court, we're likely to see this case stretch out at least several weeks (and more likely months if not years). For now, you can hop into Fortnite right now and check out all of that sweet Chapter 2 content.
What do you think of Epic Games suing a Fortnite leaker? Do you feel that the planned content was "spoiled" by leakers? Let us know in the comments below!
