header logo
Vallibel FD
vallible LE
Science & Tech
Oculus ordered to pay $500 million in ZeniMax lawsuit
Feb 02, 201705:26 PM
Oculus ordered to pay $500 million in ZeniMax lawsuit
Mobitel inner 1278

Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus just became a half billion more expensive.

 

A jury in Dallas, Texas has awarded ZeniMax Media $500 million after finding that Palmer Luckey (and by extension Oculus VR) violated the terms of a non-disclosure agreement. The jury also found Oculus guilty on charges related to false designation and copyright infringement. Oculus was notably found not guilty on charges related to claims by ZeniMax that the company stole trade secrets to create the Rift headset, Polygon reports.

 

Luckey must personally pay $50 million in the suit, while former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe will be forced to pay $150 million.

 

Facebook is now telling TechCrunch that ZeniMax Media was actually seeking a reported $6 billion in this case, not the $4 billion that was previously reported. Given the maximum possible penalty,  this obviously isn’t the worst possible outcome for Facebook, a company that is likely able to view a $500 million judgment as a slap on the wrist, especially given the resources they have been devoting to their virtual reality efforts.

 

For its part, a spokesperson for ZeniMax Media said the company was “pleased” with the decision and is furthermore looking “to ensure there will be no ongoing use of our misappropriated technology, including by seeking an injunction to restrain Oculus and Facebook from their ongoing use of computer code that the jury found infringed ZeniMax’s copyrights.”

 

Robert Altman, ZeniMax’s Chairman and CEO, said in a statement, “Technology is the foundation of our business and we consider the theft of our intellectual property to be a serious matter. We appreciate the jury’s finding against the defendants, and the award of half a billion dollars in damages for those serious violations.”

 

At the heart of this case was ZeniMax Media’s assertion that VR technology they had created was used illegally by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey to create the Rift headset, the core product of Oculus VR, which sold to Facebook for $2 billion in March of 2014. The company filed suit against Oculus asking for $6 billion in compensation and punitive damages from the court.

 

ZeniMax Media is likely not a company you’ve heard of, but if you follow the video game industry at all, some of the titles the company’s subsidiary studios have released will immediately stick out. ZeniMax owns Bethesda Softworks, which has published games like Skyrim (one of the best-selling video games of all time) and the Fallout series. The popular franchises carried by its several subsidiaries have earned ZeniMax a reported valuation of as much as $2.5 billion.

 

TechCrunch 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them (mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

Comments

0
Comments are disabled

Note: Due to legal constraints, the Ada Derana Editorial team has taken a decision to disable comments on all articles concerning ongoing court procedures.

MostRead
Mobitel 1278
VideoStories
Will island-wide power cuts end in three days? Govt. says situation will return to normal tomorrow

Will island-wide power cuts end in three days? Govt. says situation will return to normal tomorrow

 Namal Rajapaksa’s Secretary granted bail; Court imposes travel ban, case fixed for December

Namal Rajapaksa’s Secretary granted bail; Court imposes travel ban, case fixed for December

 More factions demand the release Gnanasara Thero; Govt. maintains it cannot override court ruling

More factions demand the release Gnanasara Thero; Govt. maintains it cannot override court ruling

Sarvajana Balaya seeks to emerge as main challenger to Govt

Sarvajana Balaya seeks to emerge as main challenger to Govt

 One-hour daily power cuts from today. Island-wide interruptions until Oct. 21 - NSO

One-hour daily power cuts from today. Island-wide interruptions until Oct. 21 - NSO

 Patali reveals details of pardons granted by President AKD. 334 prisoners pardoned in 2025 and 2026

Patali reveals details of pardons granted by President AKD. 334 prisoners pardoned in 2025 and 2026

 Protests and marches held across Sri Lanka in support of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero

Protests and marches held across Sri Lanka in support of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero

 China-backed Colombo Port logistics hub project abandoned. SLPA to pursue new facility

China-backed Colombo Port logistics hub project abandoned. SLPA to pursue new facility

President says govt will not go against Supreme Court verdicts; 'They can shout all they want'

President says govt will not go against Supreme Court verdicts; 'They can shout all they want'

Pinnacle and Chuda Manikya donated by Thailand  to Mihindu Maha Stupa ceremonially unveiled

Pinnacle and Chuda Manikya donated by Thailand to Mihindu Maha Stupa ceremonially unveiled

Court orders postmortem examination and thorough investigation  into tusker Kawanthissa's death

Court orders postmortem examination and thorough investigation into tusker Kawanthissa's death

Buddhist monks continue to occupy Viharamahadevi Park  demanding Gnanasara Thero's release

Buddhist monks continue to occupy Viharamahadevi Park demanding Gnanasara Thero's release

Taxes pose challenges to Sri Lanka’s tourism sector  - British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick

Taxes pose challenges to Sri Lanka’s tourism sector - British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick

CIABOC officers seize safe following search of  Namal Rajapaksa’s Secretary’s home

CIABOC officers seize safe following search of Namal Rajapaksa’s Secretary’s home

Sri Lanka hit by nationwide electricity blackout: System fully restored as cause of outage probed

Sri Lanka hit by nationwide electricity blackout: System fully restored as cause of outage probed

Lassana Flora
Lassana Flora