It has been revealed that Activision is currently fighting a legal battle with the creators of a browser-based strategy game over its attempts to register trademarks for Call of Duty: Warzone. The battle royale spin-off of the mainline Call of Duty series has become increasingly popular since its launch last year and has seen a number of updates to add new features and content. The latest rumors suggest that the Verdansk map could soon be destroyed and replaced with a new location.
This is not the first time that Activision has been involved in a legal fight concerning the hugely popular battle royale game. In March of this year, the publisher sent a cease-and-desist order to the Call of Duty Warzone stat tracker SBMM. Activision alleged that the Belgium-based site was unlawfully collecting user data from the game and using it for commercial gain. The site stated that it had reached out to Activision to try and come to a satisfactory agreement for both parties. It also argued that it was doing nothing illegal, as the data harvested was publicly available.
A trademark dispute between Activision and the creators of a browser game called Warzone will go to court after the publisher filed a lawsuit last week. PC Gamer reports that the two companies have been locked in a legal spat since Fizzer sent the gaming behemoth a cease-and-desist letter last year and opposed its trademark application for the terms "Warzone" and "Call of Duty Warzone." However, Activision has defended itself, arguing that Warzone is a term used by many video games and that its Call of Duty battle royale game would never be confused with Warzone, which is heavily inspired by the board game Risk. Activision wants the court to confirm it is not infringing Fizzer's trademark and to allow its own applications to mature.
Call of Duty: Warzone is no stranger to controversy, although criticism is usually centered on gameplay mechanics and glitches. The game has become well known for its wide array of technical issues and bugs, which can often ruin the experience for users who want to play fairly. The latest Warzone glitch allows players to get access to free advanced UAVs.
Although it is clear that Warzone and Call of Duty: Warzone are two very different games, it would appear that Fizzer may have a case as the browser-based strategy game was apparently launched back in 2017. This is three years before Activision released its battle royale game, so it is unclear exactly who the judge will side with. Whatever the case, this is a dispute that could drag on for some time if the two companies cannot come to some sort of agreement.
Call Of Duty: Warzone is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
Source: PC Gamer