Earlier this year, “League Of Legends” developer Riot Games announced that they will file another copyright infringement against “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” developer, Moonton. Fast forward to the present, the case how now been dismissed. It was filed in California’s US District Court on May 9, 2022, and was denied on the grounds that both parties should settle their differences in a more appropriate court.
Why was It Dismissed?
The disagreement between the two corporations should be settled in China, according to the American judge overseeing the case. This is so because Riot Games, though situated in Los Angeles, is controlled by Tencent, whereas Moonton is a Chinese company. Moonton filed a “forum non-conveniens” argument, effectively arguing that a different court would be a better site for the trial to be held. Riot protested the request, but the matter was ultimately rejected by the court for these reasons.
The court also mentioned that Riot and Tencent were waging a two-front fight against Moonton, and thought it was unreasonable to permit this “until Tencent decides to show up on both battlefields.” Tencent was also bringing separate accusations against Moonton in China. Riot responded to an inquiry with PC Gamer:
“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and especially its worrying conclusion that China is an ‘adequate alternative forum’ for a US company to pursue its claims of copyright infringement that occurred in the US. The idea of having US citizens apply for M5 visas to fly overseas in order to ask a Chinese court for relief concerning works that were both created and infringed in the US—defies common sense. On top of that, Moonton’s knock-off game isn’t even available in China. We are exploring all possible options, including an appeal.”
Riot VS Moonton’s History
Riot Games and Moonton have engaged in legal disputes regarding League of Legends and Mobile Legends before. In 2017, Riot Games made an attempt to sue Moonton. Due to this, Mobile Legends was temporarily removed from app stores. Later, after a few tweaks, it was relisted as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Ultimately, this case was dismissed for the same reasons that the 2022 case was.
