Konami sues Cygames over patent infringement, requests to cease operation of Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Konami has filed a lawsuit against developer Cygames. The Japanese publisher believes that the studio’s hit game Uma Musume Pretty Derby has infringed its patent rights.
- On May 17, CyberAgent, the parent company of Cygames, announced that Konami filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court on March 31 (it was first spotted by Twitter user @tarbel1).
- The Japanese publisher accuses Cygames of patent infringement, although it is not clear what patent rights were infringed exactly.
- It is probably related to some game systems in Uma Musume Pretty Derby and its implementation of gacha mechanics.
- Konami is seeking ¥4 billion (around $29.2 million) in damages and is calling for an “injunction against the production, usage, and provision” of the game.
- Cygames has already responded to the lawsuit on its official website, saying that it “has been engaged in good faith discussions” with Konami regarding patent rights. However, the negotiations failed, and the lawsuit was filed.
- “We believe that Uma Musume Pretty Derby does not infringe Konami Digital Entertainment’s patent rights, and we will clarify the legitimacy of this in the proceedings of this lawsuit,” Cygames stated.
- The studio also noted that Uma Musume Pretty Derby won’t be delisted from app stores and it will continue to provide services to players without change.
Established in 2011 by CyberAgent, Cygames is primarily focused on mobile. The studio is known for games such as Shadowverse and Princess Connect! Re:Dive. However, Uma Musume Pretty Derby, a racing/life sim title featuring Horse Girls, remains its biggest hit.
According to Sensor Tower, it took the game just two years to surpass $2 billion in lifetime revenue on iOS and Android. It is one of the fastest mobile titles of all time to hit this mark. Uma Musume Pretty Derby is now available only in Asia. Japan accounts for 95% of the game’s player spending, followed by South Korea (3.3%) and Taiwan (1%).
