There’s an update in the ongoing legal case between Snail Games, which sued Myth of Empires’ Angela Game over copyright infringement. The accusations covered code allegedly stolen by former Snail Games employees from Ark: Survival Evolved. Now, there’s a new twist in the case to consider –a report by an independent third party determining that Angela Game did steal code and tried to cover it up.
According to the report from MMOFallout, neutral expert Bob Zeidman was brought on as both sides were ordered to choose someone to examine the code and write a report that would be used in the ongoing lawsuit. Zeidman’s conclusion is that Angela Game “copied substantial portions of SWC’s copyrighted source code and tried to conceal its copying”.
This does not mean that the lawsuit is over though, as this is just one step in the process. However, with this expert reporting and thorough examination of the code, it does seem to back Snail Games’ assessment that Angela Game not only stole the code, but tried to alter some of it to change portions and attempt to hide.
Angela Game, which had appealed in court to get its DMCA-driven Steam delisting reversed, lost that effort. The company, after Myth of Empires was delisted, forged ahead with its own website and launcher, putting the game out independently and trying to hang on. According to the MMOFallout report, the company has replaced its original legal team after their original attorneys quit over unpaid bills.
What this all means is that things are looking to tip in Snail Games’ favor, but the case is not over. Myth of Empires continues in operation. This report was one step, and next up will be a trial in some form. This could continue in the courts or be handled through a private mediation process.
