Says the game maker didn’t have permission
AM General is suing Activision Blizzard for prominently displaying the Humvee in its “Call of Duty” video game series without permission, reports Reuters. The Indiana-based manufacturer says Activision earned billions of dollars by featuring the Humvee in its games and licensing related content for use in other products such as toys and books.
The video game’s success has come “at the expense of AM General and consumers who are deceived into believing that AM General licenses the games or is somehow connected with or involved in the creation of the games,” the vehicle maker contends. Through 2016, Activision sold more than 250 million copies of the popular video game series. Since its inception in 2003, the franchise has raked in more than $15 billion of revenue.
The two parties haven’t been able to resolve the dispute even after a year of talks. Now, AM General is seeking compensatory, punitive, and triple damages from the maker of the game.
The Humvee has spent more than three decades servicing the U.S. military, with more than 278,000 copies produced. The Humvee name obviously has enormous brand value behind it, although it’s being replaced by the Oshkosh JLTV in frontline service. The Humvee will continue to serve behind-the-scenes with the Army and Marines until 2050, cementing its relevancy for a long time to come.
Read more about the AM General Humvee and Oshkosh JLTV here.
Source: Reuters