Developer sues Activision Blizzard over alleged CoD character copyright infringement

Clayton Haugen says CoD's Mara was allegedly copied from an original character he created.

Developer Clayton Haugen is suing Activision Blizzard, alleging that Call of Duty Modern Warfare‘s Mara is a copy of a character he originally created.

As reported by TorrentFreak, Haugen has filed a suit against Activision Blizzard, developer Infinity Ward and Call of Duty eSports partner Major League Gaming Corp. The suit states that Mara is a copy of a protagonist named Cade Janus that he created for November Renaissance, a film he hopes to produce.

Haugen says that he hired Twitch streamer Alex Zedra back in 2017 and took a series of photographs with her as Janus for promotional materials including an Instagram campaign, a calendar, and assets used to pitch the film to studios. Haugen then alleges that Activision Blizzard later hired Zedra to portray a “strong, skilled female fighter” in Modern Warfare and also requested she reacquire the same clothing and weaponry used for the November Renaissance photoshoot.

Furthermore, Haugen alleges that Activision Blizzard had his Janus photographs posted on “the wall of the studio” while creation of the Mara character was underway. He also alleges that Activision Blizzard hired the same makeup artist as he did to recreate Janus’ look, “even using the same hair extension piece.”

“To conceal their planned infringement of Haugen’s Cade Janus Photographs and his Cade Janus character, Defendants required the talent and the makeup professional to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements,” the suit alleges. “The resulting photographs were intended to be, and were, copies of Haugen’s Cade Janus Photographs.”

Haugen is seeking to “recover all monetary remedies” from Activision Blizzard as a result of the alleged infringement, including profits attributable.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare is available now on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4 and PS5.