source: [link]

"Author John Beiswenger has just filed a lawsuit against video game publisher Ubisoft claiming that the company's "Assassin's Creed" franchise directly copied ideas from his own story. If Beiswenger succeeds, this could mean fans won't be seeing a third "Assassin's Creed" game, or at least not anytime soon.


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Beiswenger's "Link" is a science fiction novel centering on a team of scientists who discover a cell particle with infinite capacity for memory. The researchers are taken back in time as their test subject recalls ancestral memories in hopes of learning about the existence of the human soul.

The "Assassin's Creed" series also hinges on the same plot elements. The historical fiction action adventure game follows bartender Desmond Miles, who is kidnapped by a corporation known as Abstergo. His captors show him a time machine known as the Animus, in which Desmond travels back in time to relive his ancestor's memories.

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In addition to the similar plot elements, both works also include spiritual and religious tones, assassinations and characters experiencing historical events through their distant past relatives. "Link" and "Assassin's Creed" both include the theme of the battle between good and evil as well.

In Beiswinger's novel, Med Diagnostics intends to steal and use the Link technology to its benefit. Governmental entities also try to persuade Search International to use the Link device and process to interrogate "assassins" and their families. In the "Assassin's Creed" series, Abstergo Industries uses the Animus technology to interrogate Desmond to find information to track down other assassins.

"Ubisoft have directly copied, and directly and contributory infringed on the whole of Plaintiff's copyrighted work," the official court document says. "Link" was published originally published in 2003, and the first "Assassin's Creed" game was released in 2007.

The author is seeking $1.05 million against Ubisoft in damages and up to $5.25 million if the judge rules that the company knowingly infringed on the copyright. This would also halt the release of "Assassin's Creed 3" and any other related products. The third game is expected to come out in the holiday 2012 season, but no official release date has been announced.

"Assassin's Creed 3" will take place in colonial New York and Boston during the Revolutionary War, and the series' new main character is a Native American/British mix named Connor. The series is widely popular due to its sandbox nature, allowing players to freely explore the historical world recreated virtually."

what a douchbag! he could have sued when AC1 cameout, but no he wants to ruin it for all of us!

a commenter there said:

"Buswanker! (Patent pending?)
He did what on the bus?
The part of a cell, minute traces of DNA, and rubbish DNA having a blueprint or recording or a memory of the entire history of the human soul or spirit is a concept that belongs to Meta Physicists and philosopher and odinary people who enjoy speculating about everythng, for decades. Buswanker has borrowed that idea. Then there's the chair used to access memories, comes straight out of the movie Total Recall, and I think Star Gate had some crap like that too. The Assassins actually existed in Syria so they are fact, though their headquarters was actually at Alamut in Iran, never the less they did occupy the castle in Masyaf. There's nothing new here folks. Looks open source and public proprietry to me.
The name of his book "Link", isn't even original. Have a look at his website and think about the first thought that pops into your head. Patent vulture, patent scab, serial letigious pest etc. Loony. He's even patented concepts which he'll sit on until someone else tries to get a patent for something similar. There is nothing new or original in any his crap. What a dick.
I hope he loses his case and has to pay Ubi for the sales lost when they miss the release date."


and  pg 2 of comments

"This is horrible research done by the author for this topic.

First off. This looks like a classic case where a not so successful writer was not as successful as wished, so bids on taking a successful company down because the plots look similar (not exactly the same). I also remember watching a movie around 2000 about a handful of men who used a warp machine to go back in time to discover how the french/english war actually ended. I don't see them complaining because other people are using the "timetraveling/reliving history" plot.

Second plain excuses such as both stories have "spiritual and religous tones" do not suffice. Imagine reliving Jerusalem or the Vatican Rome without religion. Those settings are in the plots because it woul the story would not make any sense otherwise. And also "good and evil" plots exist in almost any story (from Shakespeare to Star Wars).

Third, I have read multiple times how the machines "Link" and "animus" are used for the same thing, torturing and killing assassin's and "understanding why humans exist". But this is completely false for the animus part. The Templars already understand why humans exist and need no information to know the whereabouts of other assassins, because Abstergo is a huge company that runs most of the market and uses it's resources to find the assassins (which one of the templar's said Desmond was the last templar in the first game, later to find his father and 2 more assassins).

Abstergo had so much resources that they knew a golden apple could make anything happen. They used the animus to find the apple of eden in order to use it to control the people's "horrible" behaviours. The assassin's exist because they don't believe in forcing people to unknowingly live under a spell. Only few can resist it's dark magic (desmond and his ancestors).

But yet the Apple of eden was never mentioned. The thing that ties its stories together was left out in this argument.

Finally, Assassin's Creed is not famous for the storyline. It is famous for the addicting free roaming gameplay that allows you to assassinate people. Besides if the writer believed his idea was video game/movie material, he should have thought of that while he had the 4 year head start. The chances of 2 plots looking the same is pretty likely, especially when there are millions of writers and scriptors.

Like if you agree and comment to compare and contrast. Forgive me if this is not perfectly written, but my main argument is that this author is just trying to make some money because the plots look alike and his came out first. Mark Zukerburg was sued because he agreed with the 2 Olympic rowers to create a social network in Harvard, then he secretly designed facebook without crediting where the idea came from. These two plots are 4 years apart and have possibly no connection."


yeah, these are my supporting data for my argument on this guy is fucking stupid greedy ass mofo!

what say you, my fellow deviants?