More than 50 million video game players around the world have participated in the Rainbow Six Siege game produced by Ubisoft, which is available on iOS and Android devices. Now, the French video game company is suing Apple and Google in California to protect its intellectual property rights. Ubisoft argues that both tech companies have committed copyright violations by making a similar game, Area F2, available through the App Store and Google Play. It pursued this litigation after Apple and Google failed to respond to a request to remove Area F2 from their digital marketplaces.
Area F2, which was developed by Alibaba, reached the market last month. It is marketed as the first close-quarters battle shooting game designed for mobile devices. Area F2 provides ultra-realistic environments for both attackers and defenders. Roofs and walls in the game can be reinforced or destroyed. Players can choose among more than 20 types of agents, who are based on members of real-life special forces. Each agent has a special set of skills, which affects the player’s tactics and interactions.
Ubisoft argues that many key features of Area F2, such as the operator selection screen and the final scoring screen, are extremely similar to the corresponding features in Rainbow Six Siege. Thus, it believes that Alibaba was seeking to lure fans of Rainbow Six Siege to its competing game by capitalizing on the popularity of the original.
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