Screenwriter Clayton Haugen claims that his conceptual images were used as the basis for Modern Warfare’s film Mara
A screenwriter is suing Activision Blizzard for similarities between one of his Call of Duty characters, Mara, and his own character and copyrighted images.
Clayton Haugen claims that a character he created in 2017, called “Cade Janus” and posted on his website and social media, was used as a basis for Mara.
Actress and cosplayer Alex Zedra was hired by Haugen, whose Instagram posts show images of Zedra in military attire before the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The lawsuit claims that the developers of Call of Duty viewed the images and employed the same actress and makeup artist as the basis for Mara, a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Haugen claims 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 has since released several variations on the game.
The full complaint bears similarities between the character of Mara and Haugen, and says that Haugen has the right to “recover all monetary remedies for the defendants’ infraction, including all of their profits attributable to the infractions, to the fullest extent permitted by the 17 USC § 505 “.
A previous lawsuit against Activision Blizzard by AM General over trademark infringement for using Humvees in Call of Duty games was closed last April.