Sony dismisses Tencent’s defense as 'nonsense' in Horizon ripoff lawsuit

Sony referred to Tencent’s defense as nonsense in the ongoing lawsuit over Light of Motiram’s alleged ripoff of Horizon. Tencent previously fired back at Sony, saying Horizon is not that unique and that the PlayStation maker was seeking an impermissible monopoly on genre conventions. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) submitted a new court filing, which accused Tencent of playing a shell game with its brands and subsidiaries to avoid liability. SIE claimed that the Chinese company tried to protect defendants that it owns or controls from service of process. The PlayStation maker added that Tencent seeks to use jurisdiction to divert blame from the parent company, Tencent Holdings. 

The Cryptopolitan previously reported that Sony sued Tencent for copyright infringement and trademark violation, accusing the Chinese tech giant of developing a knockoff of its Horizon video game. SIE claimed the similarities between Tencent’s Light of Motiram and its Horizon game are so specific that they can only result from intentional copying. 

Sony says the damage is already done

Sony filed a counterargument against Tencent, claiming that the damage had already been done and that it continues to this day. SIE added that the slavish cloning of Horizon was so blatant that fans loudly decried the obvious and pervasive copying. 

SIE claimed that although the public expressed outrage and confusion after discovering that Light of Motiram is a knockoff, Tencent has remained undeterred. Sony stated that the Chinese company has refused to accept responsibility for its actions, opting instead to play corporate hide-and-seek. 

SIE argues that Tencent Holdings is at the helm because it holds the U.S. trademark for Light of Motiram, owns the official lightofmotiram.com domain, and operates the Tencent Games brand. The Chinese company also recognizes gaming revenue at the parent company level, further watering down its claim that the parent company is passive.

The 35-page court filing urged the court to reject Tencent’s attempt to dismiss the case. Sony insists Tencent’s argument that SIE’s case is not ripe does not hold up because the Chinese company has already released promotional videos, marketing materials, and screenshots globally. Light of Motiram’s promotional materials are still visible across the U.S. on platforms like YouTube, Steam, Discord, and Epic Games Store.

The console maker also noted in its lawsuit filing that games journalists and gamers have criticized Light of Motiram for ripping off Horizon. It is asking for unspecified monetary damages and has requested an order blocking the Chinese company from violating its IP rights. 

Tencent says SIE’s claims are startling.

In its defense, the Chinese company said Sony’s claims in the Horizon lawsuit are startling and an attempt to fence off a well-trodden path in popular video games development. It argued that the Light of Motiram game uses time-honored genre tropes that cannot be monopolized.

Tencent previously filed a motion to dismiss and pushed back hard, claiming Sony’s lawsuit was an overreach. The tech giant argued that SIE is not protecting unique creative work, but rather trying to monopolize entire storytelling conventions that other games have used for years. It added that Sony is trying to turn ubiquitous genre norms into proprietary assets.

The Chinese tech giant stated that SIE has been attempting to secure imagery and ideas used in video game development for decades. Tencent emphasized that Sony seeks to obtain exclusive rights to elements such as mechanical monsters, red-haired heroes, and ruined civilizations that appear in various titles, including Far Cry, The Legend of Zelda, Enslaved, Outer Wilds, and Biomutant, among others. 

Tencent believes Sony’s effort is not aimed at fighting off piracy or a genuine threat to intellectual property. Instead, the Chinese company claims SIE wants to declare parts of popular gaming culture its exclusive domain, unlike any similar fictional world that has been created before. Tencent accuses Sony of conveniently leaving out key context.

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