Former World Championship Wrestling, aka WWE, superstar and current Hall of Famer, Booker T filed a lawsuit in February 2019 against Activision for producing a character with a striking similarity to his likeness. Booker T. Huffman created and copyrighted the “G.I. Bro” comic book character and Prophet features some striking similarities when put side-by-side. A year later, the ruling denied Activision's request to dismiss or transfer the litigation.
Prophet debuted as one of nine specialists in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, and presents himself as a futuristic soldier relying on his sturdy Tempest weapon to take down enemies. Booker T comic book persona, G.I. Bro, relatively features the same persona. As the latter holds a similar high-tech gun, and adopting a comparable fighting style. Judge Robert Schroeder's ruling order went into more detail behind what convinced him of Huffman's allegations of copyright infringement.
They both have the same muscular build; same skin tone; nearly identical facial features and facial expression; dreads topped with a cap; black, army style clothing; ammo holders strapped to their lower body; and assault rifles, held in a similar fashion with the end of the gun positioned near the character’s right shoulder. Because a side-by-side comparison of the works identified in Plaintiff’s complaint are sufficiently similar to plausibly allege striking similarity, Plaintiff has adequately pleaded copying.
This isn't the first time we see celebrities and pop culture personalities go after video game developers and publishers for allegedly using their likeness. Probably the most infamous case is Lindsay Lohan's lawsuit against Rockstar Games for creating the girl on Grand Theft Auto V's loading screen based on her.
What do you think of Booker T's lawsuit against Activision? Is Prophet really a GI Bro rip-off? We will keep you updated on the latest happenings of the lawsuit. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
