Activision, EA, Take-Two, Konami Sued for Patent Infringement

Some of the biggest names in gaming are facing lawsuits involving patents for fantasy sports. As reported by Polygon and GI.biz, a Texas-based company called Virtual Gaming Technologies, LLC recently filed lawsuits against Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Zynga, and Konami.

In its complaints, Virtual Gaming claims these companies are infringing on a pair of patents held by William Junkin, the chairman and CEO of FantasySports.com. As explained by GI.biz, the company alleges that Junkin's patents for interactive games based on events occurring in real time, such as trading fantasy players based on their real-world performance, are being infringed upon.

Virtual Gaming Technologies also recently filed lawsuits against fantasy sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, as well as ESPN.

The complaints name a number of games as infringing on the patents, including the Madden, FIFA, and NHL franchises from EA; Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2015; NBA 2K15 and WWE 2K16 from Take-Two; Zynga's NFL Showdown; and NASCAR The Game: Inside Line from Activision.

Virtual Gaming Technologies is looking for damages plus interest in every case.

Also of note here is that Virtual Gaming Technologies is basically a brand new operation, having formed in Texas in late September. It's filed no fewer than 16 lawsuits in US District Courts, GI.biz reports.