THQ sues Activision over BAJA box art News
Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 News by Robert Purchese
THQ has taken legal action against Activision for infringing on copyrighted cover artwork for off-road racer BAJA: Edge of Control.
You may have noticed that Activision unveiled a rather similar-sounding game earlier this year called SCORE International Baja l000.
Well, the similarities apparently don't stop there, as both box covers - THQ's made public first - depict a buggy racing in the foreground with a truck jumping in the air just slightly behind.
The reason for all of this: "In order to avoid the customer confusion that is likely to occur if Activision proceeds with its planned release of its own game using packaging artwork virtually identical to THQ's," according to the legal papers (spotted by Joystiq).
Matters have come to this because THQ has "exhausted all reasonable efforts" to get the design changed "voluntarily", apparently.
BAJA: Edge of Control was released at the end of September on Xbox 360 and PS3. We'll be bringing you our thoughts of the game soon.
Are you excited about SCORE International Baja 1000 on PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360?
View Eurogamer readers most anticipated games
Related Games
BAJA: Edge of Control
SCORE International Baja 1000
Latest News
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Legal spat over Baja cover settled [4]
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Shots and videos from THQ Gamers Day [15]
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THQ unveils new off-roader for PS3, 360 [31]
Latest Screenshots
5 April, 2008 [2]
Release Date Out now!
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Comments: 1-17 of 17 in total
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kangarootoo
28/10/08 @ 10:12
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Hard to call with these things. I mean, its not going to have chickens and handbags on the box art is it?
I'm no artist, but if you asked me to design a cover for such a game, one truck in the foreground with another jumping in the background might well be top of my ideas list. |
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"I'm no artist, but if you asked me to design a cover for such a game, one truck in the foreground with another jumping in the background might well be top of my ideas list."
As an artist, it would be your job to be original, inspiring, different AND communicate the message. Picking the item first in the list would be epic fail (like this box art btw). |
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Royal Fool
28/10/08 @ 10:27
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I think you can find a number of covers for any given product that look similar, when they share similar themes (in this case: Desert racing). Some things on the covers are eerily similar, others aren't.
Just go look at movie posters for films that share the same plot or character stereotypes.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 28/10/08 @ 10:28
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"Surely people will look at the name of the game before buying even if the box art is somewhat similar. "
though if you don't expect there to be multiple BAJA games out - then going to pick up the one you played round a mate's, read a review on, but didn't note the full title or you're trying to remember the title of the game that little tommy or whoever wanted then being presented with what appears to be the similar enough title with a nigh on identical cover (and bare in mind you often have slightly dif covers for the same game with platinum, SE etc versions). I can see how if the thing is close enough to yours you don't want to lose sales to confusion or find your marketing budget is also plugging your rivals. |
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The_Surreal
28/10/08 @ 13:24
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HAHA!!! Funny though how similar they are:
COMPARISON But I'm not sure whether a lawsuit is the answer. Isn't there an industry watchdog who could tell them to change the boxart? Activision were DEFINATELY trying to piggy back the possible success of THQs game. Enough parents would buy this game for their child by mistake to take like 25% of THQs profit.
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 28/10/08 @ 13:27
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So the Activision game is not out yet? Is it worse than the THQ one then? Seeing as how the THQ game has a metacritic in the mid sixties maybe they are just trying to recoup their outlay somehow? As for the design there are actual design reasons why they both do the same thing, leading your eye across the FOP, images jumping out of the picture for impact etc. It could look wrong to go against these design basics. Let them tear each other to shreds I say.
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Comments: 1-17 of 17 in total
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