Resident Evil 4 Copyright Lawsuit 'Amicably Resolved'

Published: February 8, 2022 3:06 PM /

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Resident Evil 4 Copyright Lawsuit cover
 

Resident Evil 4 copyright lawsuit between Capcom and photographer Judy A. Juracek has been "amicably resolved" after less than a year.

The last few months have been pretty great for Resident Evil 4. The Meta Quest 2-exclusive VR version quickly became the fastest-selling app on the platform and a long-awaited, fan-made HD mod has finally launched. While the game had some production troubles, a larger issue emerged over the last year when a photographer filed a copyright lawsuit against Capcom.

Resident Evil 4 Copyright Lawsuit Polygon Juda A. Juracek Capcom Court Documents
Images from court documents detail the alleged copyright infringement that led to the lawsuit. (Image Credit: Polygon, Judy A. Juracek, Capcom)

The Resident Evil 4 Copyright Lawsuit, Explained

The Resident Evil 4 copyright lawsuit was filed by Judy A. Juracek, a Connecticut-based photographer who became aware of similarities between imagery in Capcom's game and her work.

A portion of the submitted evidence is seen above. For example, Item GO79 was a photo taken of a window in Italy, and the lawsuit alleges that details of this photo were superimposed over the Resident Evil 4 logo. Another item (ME009) shows similar patterns from Juracek's photographs replicated in textures from the game, suggesting that someone used her photographs as a base for creating these assets.

There's nothing wrong with using photographs (either in whole or part) as the foundation for other assets, even if it's for something as prominent as a logo. The issue here -- and the central point of the Resident Evil 4 copyright lawsuit -- is that Capcom allegedly did not properly license these photos. As you might expect, Juracek was none too pleased about this discovery and filed the lawsuit in June 2021.

It's been a good few months since then, but it looks like this lawsuit has come to an end according to an update from Polygon (via Reddit): both parties have resolved their dispute. Here's a statement from Judy A. Juracek's lawyer Jonathan A. Winter provided to Polygon:

Capcom and Judy Juracek have amicably resolved their dispute concerning the alleged use of Ms. Juracek’s photos in Capcom’s games. A dismissal was filed on February 7, 2022[,] with the District of Connecticut to end the lawsuit.

Considering the evidence we've seen, it's unlikely that Juracek dropped the lawsuit without collecting a hefty payday. We don't know how much money she may have received from a settlement, but I imagine that Capcom had to cut her a pretty fat check to make this legal problem go away.

Now that the Resident Evil 4 copyright lawsuit is all done, all we have to do is wait for a Resident Evil 4 remake to come out sometime in the future. In the meantime, you can buy the original on PC and consoles via its official website starting at $19.99 or your regional equivalent.

What do you think of the Resident Evil 4 copyright lawsuit? What's your favorite area in the game? Let us know in the comments below!

More Info About This Game

In This Article

Developer
Armature Studio
Publisher
Capcom
Platforms
GameCube, Android, IOS, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest, PC, PlayStation 2, Playstation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release Date
January 11,2005
Genre
Survival Horror, Action Adventure
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