'League of Legends' Developer Loses Lawsuit Over Striker Lucian Skin
"League of Legends" developer Riot Games lost a lawsuit from a former football player. The subject of the suit is the Striker Lucian skin released in 2014, which the ex-player claimed his likeness was used for without his permission.
Former footballer Edgar Davids has sued Riot Games over their use of his appearance for the "League of Legends" character Lucian's striker skin, with its dreadlocks, football player attire and eyewear.
Riot Games claims that fans will look at the character and think Lucian, and not Davids. The court's findings, however, disagreed. Among the evidence presented during the trial was a tweet from a Riot Games staff, which has since been deleted, according to Eurogamer.
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According to the tweet, a Riot employee mentions that the Striker skin for Lucian was inspired by Edgar Davids. It was a resemblance that the former player acknowledged himself in an earlier Twitter post.
"Thank youRT @GY4TSO @riotgames @LeagueOfLegends I think @esdavids noticed the resemblance!" he posted, thanking Riot for their homage. Which now leaves "League of Legend" fans wondering why Davids is suing now, after Riot's multiplayer online battle arena game has proved to be very profitable.
The court decision means that Riot must now disclose how much they made off their Striker Lucian skin, of which a hefty percentage will be going to Davids. Apparently, however, the lawsuit has been brewing for some time now.
Court documents would show, that Davids, through his attorney, asked Riot to stop using the skin through a letter dated Dec 22, 2015. It took until April 2016 for a lawyer representing the "League of Legends" developer to file a suit in defense.
With the court's ruling, which has been released just now, it looks like Davids is due for a sizable payday. Meanwhile, "League of Legends" fans have taken to social media to accost the former player about his decision to sue, after thanking Riot Games for the skin earlier.
