The whole thing with ZeniMax Media and Oculus Rift developer Oculus VR first kicked off back in May, when ZeniMax issued a legal document towards Oculus VR regarding the ownership of the virtual reality device, claiming that–because it believed certain code was used by a former employee–the peripheral belonged to ZeniMax.
While Oculus VR shrugged off ZeniMax’s legal claim , ZeniMax came back in force, filing suit against the Oculus Rift developer , accusing Oculus VR that it has ” wrongfully taken … ZeniMax[‘s] intellectual property and commercially exploited it for their own gain.”
Things kind of went quiet for a while, until GameSpot received a copy of Oculus VR’s legal defense that began on Wednesday, June 25.
According to the report, Oculus VR has responded to ZeniMax’s claim of ownership and is now taking legal action to defend itself.
Referring to the lawsuit as a “ silly, money grabbing, ” one, Oculus VR representative declared in a statement that, ” ZeniMax’s complaint falsely claims ownership in Oculus VR technology in a transparent attempt to take advantage of the Oculus VR sale to Facebook. ”
” By deliberately misstating some facts and omitting others, ZeniMax makes the incredible assertion that it, a video game software publishing company for personal computers and consoles like the Sony PlayStation, invented and developed a virtual reality hardware and software system. The truth is quite different, ” the representative added.
According to GameSpot, not a single line of code or any technology legally belonging to ZeniMax was used in the development of any of Oculus VR’s products. The Oculus Rift developer has questioned the timing of ZeniMax’s lawsuit, pointing out that ZeniMax had access to the source code for Oculus VR’s software “ for over a year and a half. ”
“Until the Facebook deal, and the perceived chance for a quick payout, ZeniMax never raised any claim of infringement against Oculus VR, undoubtedly because ZeniMax never has contributed any intellectual property or technology to Oculus VR, ” Oculus noted.
“ZeniMax had a golden opportunity to make an early investment in Oculus VR and chose to pass,” Oculus added. “The lawsuit is nothing more than ZeniMax seeking to correct for a massive missed opportunity through the assertion of meritless litigation. ”
We’ll bring you more details on Oculus VR’s defense against ZeniMax should further information reach our ears.
[ GameSpot ]