Film writer Clayton Haugen alleges that his concept of imagery was used as the basis for Modern Warfare’s Mara
A film writer is suing Activision Blizzard for similarities between one of its Call of Duty characters, Mara, and its own copyrighted character and images.
Clayton Haugen alleges that a character he created in 2017 called “Cade Janus” and posted on his website and social media was used as the basis for Mara.
Actress and cosplayer Alex Zedra was hired by Haugen, Instagram posts show images of Zedra in military attire, before the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The lawsuit alleges that the developers of Call of Duty saw the images and used the same actress and makeup artist as the basis for Mara, a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Haugen alleges that Activision Blizzard forced the model and makeup artist to sign non-disclosure agreements to cover up the violation.
Mara was added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as part of her first battle pass, and several variations on the game have since been released.
The full complaint establishes similarities between Mara and Haugen’s character and states that Haugen has the right to “recover all monetary resources from the defendants’ offense, including all of their benefits attributable to their offenses, to the extent permitted by the 17 505 of the USC “.
A previous lawsuit against Activision Blizzard by AM General, for trademark infringement for its use of Humvees in Call of Duty games, was dismissed last April.