Leisure Suit Larry creator sues Sam Suede Kickstarter

Leisure Suit Larry developer Replay Games is suing Wisecrack Games over its Kickstarter campaign which it claims misrepresents Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe's participation in the project.

According to VentureBeat, Wisecrack Games is running a Kickstarter campaign for $500,000 to finance its upcoming adventure, Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure. A "comic adventure for the 21st century," Sam Suede describes itself as a sex farce much like Leisure Suit Larry.

The Kickstarter page bills the title as "a new original game based on the comedic game design by Al Lowe & Ken Wegrzyn".

What it fails to mention is that Lowe hasn't been involved with the game in seven years. The Leisure Suit Larry creator is not happy with his name, likeness or mention of his best known franchise being used to sell Sam Suede and demands the Kickstarter be taken down.

"I think the blatant misuse of the Leisure Suit Larry name and copyrighted material shows clear disregard for copyright law," said Replay Games founder, Paul Trowe. "To piggyback on someone else's success is not only rude but also illegal. Those who continue with this will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. We are suing today."

Responding to the allegation, Wisecrack Games denied any wrongdoing, and issued the following statement:

"Wisecrack Games has not infringed or otherwise violated any rights of Replay Games. Wisecrack's references to Al Lowe's accomplishments, including his work on the Leisure Suit Larry series, are truthful, come directly from Mr. Lowe's website with his permission pursuant to a written agreement, and constitute de minimis and fair uses under applicable law."

It goes on to say: "The references to Al Lowe's extensive work with Ken Wegrzyn on the design of Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure is truthfully stated and a historical fact. The original design and prototyping have been completed by Al and Ken, as well as a written agreement with Al Lowe for the Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure Kickstarter with Wisecrack Games."

Meanwhile, Lowe and Trowe have their own Leisure Suit Larry game in the works after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards shot past its $500,000 goal with $655,000 earlier this month. It's expected to be out in early 2013 on PC, Mac, iPad and Android tablets.