Ubisoft Sues Black Eyed Peas for $1 Million

Ubisoft has sued The Black Eyed Peas for breach of contract. As reported by Courthouse News, the suit is for $1 million and alleges that Ubisoft created “an iPad and iPhone version of a popular Wii game” -- namely, The Black Eyed Peas Experience -- that the band “refused to accept, reject or pay for.”

The suit is against a group called BEP Music that holds a trademark for 2011’s The Black Eyed Peas Experience, which hit Xbox 360 and Wii. The suit alleges that in June 2011 BEP Music “entered into a license agreement” that “licensed to Ubisoft the exclusive, worldwide right to use, among other things, the names and likenesses of a music group and its members...to develop, produce, and distribute a video game...on all existing and future handheld and home consoles and iOS platforms, including the iPhone and iPad." Ubisoft claims that it submitted the game to BEP Music for approval in March of this year and the group “never responded to Ubisoft's request for approval of the IOS game within the requisite ten business days, or ever. Thereafter, Ubisoft continued to repeatedly request, both orally and in writing” that BEP approve the game.

"Since March 2012, and despite Ubisoft's repeated requests, BEP Music has breached the contract by failing and refusing to either approve or disapprove the IOS game in writing or otherwise,” Ubisoft claims. “Ubisoft has performed all of the obligations required of it under the contract, except as those obligations that have been excused by BEP Music's conduct or by operation of law. At the time of BEP Music's breach of contract, Ubisoft had spent 181,000 Euros (approximately $233,000) in developing the iOS game. As a direct and proximate result of BEP Music's breach of contract, Ubisoft has suffered damages in an amount in excess of $1,000,000, which not only includes Ubisoft's out-of-pocket development costs, but also the profits Ubisoft has lost and will continue to lose as a result of BEP Music's breach of contract."

The Wii and Xbox 360 version of The Black Eyed Peas Experience was released in November 2011 and “is currently still being distributed pursuant to the contract and has thus far been successful for Ubisoft,” according to the suit. We’ve reached out to Ubisoft about the lawsuit and will update with any comment we receive. Until then, you can read our The Black Eyed Peas Experience review.

Source: Courthouse News via The Escapist

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com