Sony and Jaffe sued over God of War

By Robert Purchese Published 18 September, 2008

Suers claim their ideas were stolen.

Sony and developer David Jaffe have been sued for allegedly copying other people's ideas in the God of War series of games.

No, not the original Greek myths, but the works of two Californians with strange surnames: Jonathan Bissoon-Dath and Jennifer Barrette-Herzog.

The main claim of the suit, according to GamePolitics, is that the pair had sent their work - including a screenplay - to Sony Pictures, as well as agents that deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America, back in 2002.

The double-barrelled duo note that God of War 1 was released in 2005, and that David Jaffe said the game took three years to develop. Whoops.

Pages of similarities between the fictional works of the duo and the God of War games were also listed.

These mention a champion picked by Zeus and Athens to defend against the invading army of Ares; a champion whose family is hacked to death; a champion whose weapons resemble the two glowing sword-hands of Zeus; and a champion who has to cross a sagging bridge over a bottomless chasm.

Sony and Jaffe, of course, deny all allegations and seek reimbursement for any money shelled out on lawyers and nice suits to wear in court.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Thunderbolt #1 3 years ago

    Jaffe made a gaffe

    Hur Hur

    /gets coat

  • PlugMonkey #2 3 years ago

    "and a champion who has to cross a sagging bridge over a bottomless chasm."

    Heh heh. Rumbled! Get out of that one, Sony!

  • Les #3 3 years ago

    Old news but very funny (check out the original article, it contains some of the allegations)! ;)

  • DanWhitehead #4 3 years ago

    ...a champion who has to cross a sagging bridge over a bottomless chasm.

    I think Indiana Jones might have something to say about that bit.

  • drunkymonkey #5 3 years ago

    "Sagging Suspension Bridge" is my new favourite phrase.

  • wewillselfdestruct #6 3 years ago

    I had the idea to sue people who copied my game ideas first. Now these guys have copied my idea. So I'm going to sue them. It's just crazy enough that it might work (within the usual ridiculous parameters of the American Justice SystemTM).

  • Kyle #7 3 years ago

    Hmmmmm...

  • space_ace #8 3 years ago

    someone zeus jaffe? :)

  • jonsaan #9 3 years ago

    Come on, surely everyone wrote a story at school a 'bit' like the God of War 'story'. I call bullshit. It's not like it's an amazing tale - it's basically dross wrapped up in great gameplay.

  • Doctor_What #10 3 years ago

    I enjoyed the story, even if you didn't! Nice presentation too.

  • PearOfAnguish #11 3 years ago

    They can cross MY sagging bridge to get to a bottomless chasm! Eh lads, EH? PHWOAR.



    What?


    FTFA:

    The Adventures of Own: Owen's Olympic Adventure."

    Shit title!
    Edited by 2 at 18/09/08 @ 11:36

  • mcwildcard #12 3 years ago

    They're just angry at the world for having such ridiculous names.

  • PearOfAnguish #13 3 years ago

    Why'd they wait three years to point out the similarities?

  • L42yB #14 3 years ago

    This guy is full of shit. His ideas were not stolen, they are based on greek mythology - which was not his idea.

    He is going to get completely trounced in court though, and deservedly so.

  • miiiguel #15 3 years ago

    This "omg someone copied this or that" is complete bollocks. Have a good idea?, do something with it!

  • IronCladChicken #16 3 years ago

    lol@mcwildcard

  • oupe #17 3 years ago

    Also Jennifer Barrette-Herzog has clearly inspired GoW graphics:

    Check out her artwork
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/08 @ 12:02

  • andromeda #18 3 years ago

    "Also Jennifer Barrette-Herzog has clearly inspired GoW graphics: "

    christ those drawings are a travesty.
    Should be renamed "Portraits of your Home - in a faux navie style "

  • dog #19 3 years ago

    then again, what with all this slagging off for frivolous lawsuits, wouldn't it be gutting if you send off an idea for a game to sony, complete with sketches, plot and everything only to find them all appearing a couple of years later in a game with no credit to yourself...

    and then to compound the humiliation everyone on the intraweb laughs at you and says "you can't copywrite greek mythology" or "sagging bridges lollers"

    just playing devil's advocate... i'm sure they're just a couple of money grabbing yank wankers really...

  • SpeedyThing #20 3 years ago

    And there I was thinking that Sony Pictures and SCEA hated each other!

  • dr_faulk #21 3 years ago

    I used to day dream as a kid abount a giant robot with a shield blowing the crap out of everything. Then Koanmi made Cybernator, but did I sue them?


    Yes.
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/08 @ 12:45

  • cloud_ix #22 3 years ago

    you can send whatever you like to any of these companies, they deliberatly don't read these for the law suits that would entail.
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/08 @ 12:42

  • Moz #23 3 years ago

    @dog, that would all be fair enough if they'd said something in 2005. or hell when the first trailers and demos appeared, but they didn't.

    And if they're not just doing this for the money then it should be a leason to everyone out there with an idea, get all your copywrite and shit registered before sending your idea to a publisher.

  • Stu #24 3 years ago

    @ oef

    £300 for one of those! I'm not surprised she needs to sue some huge company in a vague attempt for cash...

  • kangarootoo #25 3 years ago

    "Also Jennifer Barrette-Herzog has clearly inspired GoW graphics"

    Her art teacher clearly never told HER not to use a ruler.

  • JediMasterMalik #26 3 years ago

    GoW has an interesting and most importantly well told story, however no one would claim it to be highly original, other than this guy of course. You can't exactly steal something like that.

  • glaeken #27 3 years ago

    They just wrote a story featuring many common elements of Greek mythology so someone aiming at the same thing for say a game is of course going to come up with similar elements. They really would have to prove their was something unique in their writings that features in GOW to get anywhere with this.

  • Biggles #28 3 years ago

    Yeah, these big companies tend to just shred any game ideas they receive for exactly this reason. I used to work in one and there was a rule that if you even suspected an email or letter might contain an unsolicited game idea you had to delete it without reading it. Sounded bloody ridiculous at the time, but I suppose it makes sense if people are going to pull stuff like this...

  • MilkYMoO #29 3 years ago

    Sony stealing other peoples ideas, never!.

  • anomagnus #30 3 years ago

    hardly post here anymore ,since war has conusmed my life - shamless promotion for WAR there

    anyway, i'm 100% positive that sony, like apple, operate a no submissions rule, for exactly this reason

  • dsmx #31 3 years ago

    nintendo stealing other peoples ideas? never!
    Microsoft stealing other people ideas ideas? never!

    Everyone is guilty of it, singling out sony is a bit harsh.

  • PearOfAnguish #32 3 years ago

    Dsmx, that was a very poor effort at starting yet another stupid console war argument. 4/10.

  • Redeye #33 3 years ago

    I'm going to copyright the concept of fanboyism, then any time such trolls crop up, they'll have to pay me before they can scrawl down whatever flamebait they've sneezed up.

    But on topic, pillocks.

  • Arwin #34 3 years ago

    So they wrote a screenplay bursting of cliches, and then there's a game with similar cliche's out there. Interesting.

    From when did the Gods game by the Bitmap Brothers date again? What was the story there? Oh wait, a warrior taking on a job for the Gods, asking that if he succeeds, he'll be allowed to join them as an equal. He even walks on walls, climbs, fights huge snakes, gargoyles and what not.

    Bitmap brothers should sue ... !

  • Royal Fool #35 3 years ago

    Honestly, I think Zeus should sue.

  • shinki #36 3 years ago

    IF their ideas did have an impact on GoW what would they expect Sony to do?

    "Hey we're making a game and when we read your ideas we thought that bit with the guy going over a sagging bridge was cool so we're using that, how much do you want us to pay you for your idea of having a guy walk across a sagging bridge."

    Yeah right.

  • amcd28 #37 3 years ago

    Hang on.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but there were sagging bridges before this guy's 'idea', weren't there?

    Hmmmm.

    Anyway, these mostly spurious lawsuits are doomed to fail as there's no real basis in fact.

    'But, I thought of it' just doesn't cut it.

    Just like the idiots that sued the makers of the Borat film, even though they'd signed disclaimers and taken money from the film company...

  • Kami #38 3 years ago

    I think the issue here isn't whether it's a flimsy excuse, but whether their work - which they submitted to Sony - was used without imbursing the duo. if Sony can prove not, then fine. If they can't, and the duo can show copies of what they submitted to Sony, then Sony are in a bit of a problem.

    I know we'll hate the duo, but if there's one thing I hate more than people seeking a quick buck, it's plagerism. If (and the key word is IF) they can prove a case, then Sony deserve what they got coming to them.

    Of course, the golden rule is to get legal people on your side before you even submit anything to anyone, or be at least aware of what rights and laws are out there that will protect you. Neglect that, and even if your idea makes millions - you'll not likely see a penny of it...

    edit; As for timing, well. I can say after seeing many, many cases of "delayed legal action" that sometimes people will wait for something to make X-billions of cash and then seek to cash in on its success. The upside of this is, that it's already made oodles of dosh and you'll clearly be wanting a slice of that dosh - if you cash in too soon, the idea may be dropped and you won't get as much in return (I know, I know, but it works for a fair few of the valid cases...). The downside is it makes you look like a greedy, money-robbing twat of extreme cuntishness.

    Sadly, this is how ther market works these days. I don't like it. You don't like it. But even if they settle, they'll be set for years so they're going to do it regardless of how stupid they end up looking...
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/08 @ 16:48

  • MuppetThumper #39 3 years ago

    @Kami

    I doubt very much Sony will get 'whats coming to them'.

    Until very recently I worked for a videogame publisher (with less stringent controls than Sony) in Acquisitions. Studios wanting to send us concepts for consideration first had to have an NDA in place with us to prevent any possible lawsuits of this type. NDAs are necessarily skewed in favour of the publisher regarding plot and gameplay ideas. It was very very rare we would ever entertain an idea from a member of the public and our advice was generally along the lines of go join a studio and get them to pitch, or create your own dev company, before we will talk to you.

    So those try-hards in the US trying to sue Sony will end up looking like the right chumps they are.

  • Kami #40 3 years ago

    I said if they could prove a case. Plagerism is a pet peeve of mine, I know it's rife but it still annoys then hell out of me.

    I know how the system works, and I know these guys look like chumps and will be sneered at. But it's early days yet, and seeing as Sony themselves have a reputation - this is going to be interesting, if nothing else.

  • Slipstream #41 3 years ago

    So...how do I go about suing jesus for the creation of man, it was my idea after all.

  • bonker #42 3 years ago

    "anyway, i'm 100% positive that sony, like apple, operate a no submissions rule, for exactly this reason "

    Two falls to win then?

  • 3william56 #43 3 years ago

    Copying is a pet anoyance of mine, I know it's common, but it still irritates the heck out of me. I am aware of how the system works, and I know these people appear idiots and will be laughed at. But it's early doors yet, and seeing as Sony themselves have a reputation - this is going to be fascinating, if nothing else. :p


    Horsesh*t (not you Kami, Jinglton Whitherington-Aardvark and his talentless 5th grade artist companion). If you send an unsolicitied script/idea to anyone, you put a copy with your bank manager or get it witnessed/dated by a lawyer to establish precedence. If not, you get sh*t, because you can't prove anything (and no one with any sense reads unsolicited submissions - in fact, who would have the time? Not Jaffe, for sure).

    Now, if the idea was something original, like say a kid with a one horned helmet wakes up in a sarcophagus and has to guide a mute angel from a deserted castle whilst defending her from shadow demons, you might have a chance. With something that's waaaay south of an episode of Hollyoaks in the originality stakes, they are just pulling the p*ss.

    Just remember - someone has to pay for those lawyers. And it's on the bottom line of our games.
    Shoo, pests!

  • kangarootoo #44 3 years ago

    "how do I go about suing jesus for the creation of man"

    Jesus created man? What theology books have you been reading?

  • Kami #45 3 years ago

    *elbows 3william56 in the face in the nicest possible way XD*

    What isn't said is whether or not the ideas were protected to start with. I think this is the crux of the whole isssue - if they can prove point of origin is theirs, then case closed Sony lose.

    However, if this is like the 360 owners who tried a class-suit of insane money for Live downtime - i.e. without merit or intelligence - I do look forward to seeing these guys fucked up the bum with barbed wire in the courts.

    Sony's problem for me is simply, they have a reputation for this - not just technologically, there have been numerous cases of songs being wholesale ripped off of peoples internet pages. These two may be cunts, but truth be told, I wonder if there is truth to it...