Humvee maker suing Activision for using its vehicles in Call of Duty without permission

midian182

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Minor celebs trying to sue video game makers for using their likenesses is nothing new, but this latest accusation of alleged copyright violation is a bit different. AM General, the maker of the Humvee, is suing Activision Blizzard for featuring its military vehicles in the Call of Duty series without permission.

As reported by Reuters, AM General LLC says the game company took advantage of its goodwill and reputation by using the Humvee and HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) marks in the popular game franchise, as well as related material such as books and toys.

Since it launched in 2003, the Call of Duty games have sold over 250 million units and brought in over $15 billion worth of revenue. COD is the world’s largest video game console franchise; a success AM General claims has come “only at the expense of AM General and consumers who are deceived into believing that AM General licenses the games or is somehow connected with or involved in the creation of the games.”

After allegedly attempting communications with the publisher for over a year, AM General says it is now seeking compensatory, punitive, and triple damages from Activision.

It’s hard not to admire the boldness of AM General’s claim that the only reason Call of Duty has been a worldwide hit is because it features the vehicles. If only other developers realized this was a way to guarantee success.

Activision Blizzard has declined to comment on the case as it is a pending legal matter.

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AM General are chancing their arm. They're not the same vehicles as the Humvee. The vehicles in the game don't feature tyre valves like the real ones have.
Has the DoD quit buying AM General's vehicles forcing them to find another easy way of making money. Activision should just give a free copy of their game to all AM General's staff and tell them to put a sock in it.
 
How many people bought CoD solely on the reason these vehicles are in there? Are the world governments going to sue for them using anything military related? Do you know how stupid and ignorant it is that this question really needs to be asked? Greedy bast****... How about actually working to make money yourselves than off the backs of others?
 
You know, they can design their vehicles with just enough differences to avoid the legal action ... sounds like a bit of laziness on somebody's part.
 
Hmm, the COD franchise started out with WWII (which had 0 Humvee's). The most successful one to date was Black Ops, (no Hummers) so they are suing for the profits from the last two COD games? The last two were mostly flops (compared to the first 3) and now the new one is going back to WWII- with no Hummers again. Sounds like the company is grasping at straws. They need to sue Chevy and Ford for building better vehicles than them!
 
"After allegedly attempting communications with the publisher for over a year,"
Probably because the publisher was laughing too hard to reply.

I'd tell them to pound sand, too. What would be Activision's motivation to even acknowledge that? It'd end up in a "Try to sue us" response anyways...
 
I want to sue CoD for using my likeness. That very well could be me in that Humvee.

That's about how stupid these lawsuits are.
 
Spec ops had jeeps ,there was A spec ops jeep available.by dodge.
Word of tanks next with the shermans,
All war games that featured military equipment.ak47,m16.aircraft,f22 raptor ,migs,spitfires.etc,etc .lol getting a little carried away there GM.who's next?
 
Spec ops had jeeps ,there was A spec ops jeep available.by dodge.
Word of tanks next with the shermans,
All war games that featured military equipment.ak47,m16.aircraft,f22 raptor ,migs,spitfires.etc,etc .lol getting a little carried away there GM.who's next?
Am General is not GM
 
Am General is not GM

You being an American should do some homework before posting inaccurately .
a division of GM.possibly.semantics.?
Humvee is a registered trademark of AM General.
Hummer,H1,H2 are registered trademarks of "GM"
taken directly from the AM General homepage.read the fine print down the page .I may be Canadian but I am also a veteran ,vehicle recognition is part of the training.
It's a Chevy.
some shermans had a blown 350 powering it.as a strathconas horse.the one we had for display at the main gate.had a blown 350.a Chevy.
 
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All companies who have their products in the games should sue. Go for it. These games are designed to program people and desensitize them to virtualized murder. It these types of games people play that prime their pumps for real mass shootings. Maybe if their business model was threatened, more lives would be saved.
 
With all that said it is sad to see this happen on both ends of the stick for both companys.
When you think about it its not like gm is losing money by letting digital art humvee roll around the field and do whatever.
Now I could understand them if activision was claiming copyrights to it which they clearly aren't.
 
With all that said it is sad to see this happen on both ends of the stick for both companys.
When you think about it its not like gm is losing money by letting digital art humvee roll around the field and do whatever.
Now I could understand them if activision was claiming copyrights to it which they clearly aren't.

Free advertising for everybody!many surplus Humvee,Hummer,also new H1,H2,have been purchased based on such advertising.
 
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LOL I know right but time will tell soon, I have a bad feeling GM may have this backfire on them.
Especially if activision looks at everything closely and pulls a nintendo counter law suit against them.
 
Am General is not GM

You being an American should do some homework before posting inaccurately .
a division of GM.possibly.semantics.?
Humvee is a registered trademark of AM General.
Hummer,H1,H2 are registered trademarks of "GM"
taken directly from the AM General homepage.read the fine print down the page .I may be Canadian but I am also a veteran ,vehicle recognition is part of the training.
It's a Chevy.
some shermans had a blown 350 powering it.as a strathconas horse.the one we had for display at the main gate.had a blown 350.a Chevy.
It isn't GM, AM General is an independent company and only sold the rights of the Hummer name to GM. GM still owns nothing that is Humvee (not the same as Hummer) and AM makes the military vehicles without GM touching them at all. AM made the H1 and some H2 for GM but they aren't owned by them.
 
- Am General is owned by the Renco Group ( http://www.rencogroup.net/amgeneral.php )

- Am General has a partnership with Mercedes to make the R-class ( http://www.amgeneral.com/our-products-and-services/commercial/ )

- Am General make the HMMWV and did make the H1 (Hummer) up until 2006, at which time GM started to make the H2 (in accordance with a 1999 deal that GM bought the marketing rights to the Hummer name)

GM makes the CIVILIAN version of the humvee and AM General makes the military version. Although the word General is in both names, nothing is common in both companies other than that.


--- Back on subject... Personally I think this is a "We'll show them" type of lawsuit. AM General (my speculation) has probably tried to work out a deal with the game maker and has/had not come to any type of conclusion. I don't think this is so much about the money; but the recognition and licence use of a product
 
Yes ,well my point was who will be next too want compensation for their images being used.
probably making parts in a GM plant as well .who actually owns the products .corporate wise isn't very relevant,in Canada they are GM ,sold by GM At a GM dealership.no AM General factory or assembly plant here.never heard of them until this .
 
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Yeah sure, and WWE is designed to program people to body-slam one another in the street and desensitise them to steroid-chomping men in trunks.

At least when I was growing up, kids would play fight like WWE wrestlers. We would practice moves on each other and act/yell like them. Even as adults you hear people quoting them "Do you smell what the rock, is….. cookin’?"

Of course it is stupid believe that games push people to do real life tragic events. I would suspect that movies/songs that portray criminals and bad guys as "cool" killing people and stealing/looting contribute. Although it is in people's sinful nature to do such things as this has been happening way before media.
 
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