Unreal Engine 3 Licensees Subpoenaed in Silicon Knights' Epic Lawsuit
The courtroom tussle between Epic and Silicon Knights is threatening to engulf other developers who have licensed the favorite Dummy Engine 3.
A Shacknews theme says that multiple developers who have previously employed the engine have been subpoenaed in an attempt to obtain their confidential contracts with Epic, for economic consumption as evidence in the case. Many companies have licensed the engine for use on PC and console platforms, including Ubisoft, Eidos, NCsoft, Electronic Arts, Activision, Straightarrow Enix and others.
"I'm leaving the judicial proceeding to the lawyers but, if this is the case, I'd like-minded to apologize to whatever of our licensees who Silicon Knights have inconvenienced," Epic Frailty President Mark Rule said. "We recognise that, the likes of US, they just want to make great games." Inconvenience notwithstanding, of greater concern to Epic poem and its licensees is the possibility that confidential terms contained in the contracts, including licensing fees and trade secrets, could get on semipublic record and would then be available to competing companies.
St. Catharines, Ontario-based Silicon Knights first sued Epic in July, claiming the company lied about the capabilities of the Unreal Engine 3 and were either involuntary or unable to adequately limit and support the engine, leading to numerous delays in its long-expected Xbox 360 title Too Anthropoid. Epic filed a counter-claim in new August, saying Silicon Knights was simply looking a way out of remunerative for the Unreal Engine license.
Source: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/unreal-engine-3-licensees-subpoenaed-in-silicon-knights-epic-lawsuit/