GamesFPSCall of DutyTop Call of Duty esports players sue Activision for $680M in damages, alleging the publisher has an unlawful monopoly on the game’s esports sceneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSCall of DutyTop Call of Duty esports players sue Activision for $680M in damages, alleging the publisher has an unlawful monopoly on the game’s esports sceneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Activision)
Members of the Call of Duty league have filed a federal lawsuit against the league’s ownerActivisionBlizzard seeking $680m in damages, alleging the company has an unlawful monopoly over professional esports leagues.
Describing the nature of the action, thelawsuitstates: “This action arises from Activision’s unlawful 100% monopoly over—and agreements unlawfully restraining trade with respect to—professional Call of Duty leagues and tournaments. As a result of its myriad anticompetitive actions, Activision now holds an unlawful 100% monopoly over that lucrative and once vibrant market.” It adds that Activision “has used that unlawful monopoly power to prevent would-be competitors from entering the market, as well as to coerce the markets other participants…to acquiesce to extortionate financial terms.”
Citing one example, Rodriguez claims he was forced into a “financially devastating” partnership to compete in the Call of Duty League, which involved him partnering with billionaire investors who, Bloomberg Law reports, demanded a 92.5% ownership share in his company.
In response to the lawsuit, an Activision spokesperson issued a statement, in which they said that Rodriguez and Abner “demanded that Activision pay them tens of millions of dollars to avoid this meritless litigation, and when their demands were not met, they filed.” The spokesperson added that Activision “will strongly defend against these claims, which have no basis in fact or law.”
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The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April
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Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’
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Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans
The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements
Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot
Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba
Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’
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