Ubisoft sued over Assassin's Creed plot

Link

Murder and conspiracy are the crimes most commonly associated with the Assassin's Creed series, but one author is adding theft to the list. As reported by GamesIndustry International, science-fiction author John Beiswenger is suing Ubisoft, accusing the publisher of copyright infringement due to similarities between his 2002 novel Link and the Assassin's Creed franchise.

As the suit notes, "In 'Link,' the plaintiff's plot includes the conception and creation of a device and process whereby ancestral memories can be accessed, recalled, relived, and re-experienced by the user." It also contains a device to access those memories described similarly to the Animus in Assassin's Creed. The suit notes that both Beiswenger's novel and the Assassin's Creed games contain spiritual and biblical overtones, a theme of good battling evil, and interactions with historically accurate people and places.

Beiswenger is seeking $1.05 million in damages, or $5.25 million if Ubisoft is found to have willfully copied elements of Link. As of press time, Ubisoft had not returned GameSpot's request for comment.

Gamespot

Shouldn't he have sued them when AC 1 first came out instead of now? Maybe he wasn't aware of the series up until this point. But does he have a case or will Ubisoft win it?

I don't think time should be a real factor in this. As you say, the author might not have even known about the game series until recently. Not everyone plays games.

If he has a good case, and has evidence to show that UbiSoft used his ideas, then they should be made to offer compensation. UbiSoft would certainly have no qualms about suing anyone else if they thought they had infringed their copyrights, and the same rules apply to them.

The problem is whether or not he has compelling evidence, and whether a strong link between his written work and the game's plot and mechanics can be established. If not, he doesn't really have a case. I'm not going to call it one way or another, but it will be interesting to see the outcome.

I hope he tears the bastards limb from limb.

I hope he tears the bastards limb from limb.

IBullseye

Fvck you. Hope he gets nothing.

I haven't read that guy's novel, but I have played Assassin's Creed. Still, it could just be a coincidence. I wonder what the judgement will be.

The burden of proof lies with him. We'll see if he has a case.

Similar concepts in stories? Who the hell knew? :o

1.05 million in damages?

Guy probably only sold 500 copies.

And I love what people are doing to his Amazon book review :lol:

1.05 million in damages?

Guy probably only sold 500 copies.

And I love what people are doing to his Amazon book review :lol:

hoola

As this and similar cases show, authors shouldn't mess with the gamers.

Published in 1981, the short story "They Died Twice" by Alan Hathaway included, among other things, a machine developed for the express purpose of delving into ancestral memories. "Link" is a clear rip-off of this now 31 year old classic tale. While this reviewer would nominally ignore such things as there is no such thing as a new idea, the author's insistence of suing a company for essentially the same thing he did in 2003 deserves a low rating.Amazon Review

But when you strip away the setting of AC, it's nothing revolutionary in terms of story. I wouldn't be surprised if a good number of sci-fi authors could instantly pop up tomorrow after hearing about this and attempt to do the same thing.

Though, before I go on defending AC, I should probably read the book and see just how similar it is. If it only has to do with a memory access machine then this guy is going a bit over board since a lot of sci-fi has religious tones to it to create a conflict between science and religion.

You don't have to read his book. All of the alleged similarities are laid out in the actual court documents and based on these excerpts his case is ridiculously weak.

The crux of his complaint centers on the notion that his idea of tapping into genetic ancestral memories is the primary narrative component in the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Except that is not true.

Anyone who plays the games knows that while that is an important component the actual game is centered on a guild of assassins as they help to forge the future of humanity while fighting the Templar Knights. This author's story isn't about a guild of assassins and his book only mentions assassinations a few times in passing. (Apparently he thinks that is enough however to warrant a lawsuit)

Worse, this fool actually claims that because his novel and the AC franchise both contain religious themes and allusions that this constitutes plagiarism. Apparently this jackwad thinks he owns biblical allegory and theme.

This guy is a hack novelist who self publishes his crap work and it's obvious he's looking for a quick payout. I read a few excerpts of his novel and it was written by an amateur who will probably never see a legitimate book deal given his horrifically dull prose.

It's also telling that he's only suing for a little over one million dollars. Given the value of this franchise he should be suing for a far larger sum if in fact he feels they took his idea and created one of the most successful and profitable franchises of this console generation.

I hope he wins it. Not because I hate AC or Ubisoft, but because Ubisoft's made such a **** of mone from this series, that if they got -any- inspiration at all from this man, 1m - 5m is a decent way to compensate him for giving them inspiration for one of their lead-franchises.

Edit: hah, read the rest of this thread, looks like this guy is a bit of a hack. That's what you get for giving an opinion without properly researching :P .