'Fortnite' News: Mother of Accused 14-Year-Old Responds to Lawsuit
"Fortnite" developers Epic Games were recently reported to be filing a lawsuit against a 14-year-old boy who took to YouTube to post a video that details some cheats and exploits that can be used in the game. The lawsuit has incurred the anger of the mother, who alleges that she has never given her son parental consent to play the game.
"This particular lawsuit arose as a result of the defendant filing a DMCA counterclaim to a takedown notice on a YouTube video that exposed and promoted Fortnite Battle Royale cheats and exploits," Epic said in a statement given to Kotaku. "Under these circumstances, the law requires that we file suit or drop the claim. Epic is not okay with ongoing cheating or copyright infringement from anyone at any age. As stated previously, we take cheating seriously, and we'll pursue all available options to make sure our games are fun, fair, and competitive for players."
Meanwhile, further reports reveal that the mother of the 14-year-old has responded to the lawsuit through a letter that was directly submitted to the court. According to her, Epic is merely using the boy to set an example to other players to escape criticism of their incapability to curb and prevent cheating behaviors that violate the license agreement. Furthermore, Epic's claim that the boy's actions have caused a mass profit loss is unfounded and in order to allege such facts, the developers will have to release related evidence.
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Aside from being used as a "scapegoat" and unfounded claims, the mother also detailed that Epic Games is in direct violation of Delaware laws that were created to protect minors, as Epic previously released the name of the underage player. Several experts also reveal that minors cannot be sued directly, which indicate that the developers of "Fortnite" may have overlooked the full identity of the YouTuber before filing the lawsuit.
