WWE Hall of Famer Sues ‘Call of Duty’ Publishers, Alleges Copyright Infringement
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Huffman has filed a copyright infringement suit against the publishers of the video game franchise “Call of Duty,” claiming its character “Prophet” is too similar to the “G.I. Bro” comic book action hero character he created based on one of his early pro wrestling personas, according to a post on the website of Androvett Legal Media & Marketing.
The 2018 release Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 prequel depicts the pre-cybernetics Prophet which bears striking similarities to G.I. Bro, a special operations soldier created and copyrighted by Huffman from the Houston suburb of Friendswood.
“When seen side-by-side there can be no question that this character was copied from G.I. Bro. From the hair, body type and clothing, right down to facial expressions, the similarities are too profound to be an accident,” said Micah Dortch of the Dallas office of the Potts Law Firm. Huffman is represented by Dortch and Houston attorney Patrick Zummo with the Law Offices of Patrick Zummo.
Since the 2015 release of the G.I. Bro and the Dragon of Death Preview and G.I. Bro and the Dragon of Death comic books, Huffman has appeared at a number of events dressed as G.I. Bro to promote the titles.
In the first three days of its release by Activision Publishing Inc., Activision Blizzard Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp., Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 sold more than $500 million in physical copies and downloads. Total sales to date are thought to exceed $1 billion.
“Booker T. has devoted a significant amount of time and money creating and organically growing his G.I. Bro character,” said Dortch. “That entrepreneurial investment should not be erased by such a blatant act of copyright infringement by a gaming juggernaut.”
The case is Booker T. Huffman v. Activision Publishing, Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
