First the GREE–DeNA lawsuit, now this: Tokyo-based social game maker Klab has sued competitor Crooz for copyright infringement. Both companies are listed (Klab just went IPO in September).
Klab is asking for 55 million yen (US$710,000) in damages. The company claims that Crooz infringed on the copyright of a game called Sengoku Buster, which was released on Mobage in March this year.
Klab says that Crooz copied a lot of elements from that title for “Team x Kousou – Gang King”, a social game also released on Mobage in September.
Konami has filed a similar lawsuit against social game provider gloops in September this year.
Lawsuits are famously rare in Japan, but with the social gaming market in this country heating up, I am expecting even more legal action in the industry in the future.