Activision Being Sued After Allegedly Ripping Off Call Of Duty Character

Activision and Infinity Ward are being sued for allegedly ripping off a character from another project to use in Call of Duty games.

North Carolina-based writer, videographer and photographer Clayton Haugen has claimed that the companies created a direct copy of a character he had invented, a ‘female vigilante and pariah figure’ named ‘Cade Janus’.

In a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the gaming giants in a Texas court, Haugen claimed he made up Cade Janus in 2017. She had been intended as the central character for November Renaissance, a project Haugen had been building into a feature-length film.

Haugen reportedly further publicised his project by sharing photos both on Instagram and in a series of calendars. It was at this point the defendants were searching for a ‘strong, skilled female fighter’ character for the Call of Duty franchise.

The companies allegedly hired Zedra, requesting that she obtain the same clothing and props used in Haugen’s ‘Cade Janus’ photoshoot. They reportedly even hired the same makeup artist, asking them to recreate the makeup and hair shown in Haugen’s photographs, ‘even using the same hair extension piece’.

Haugen has alleged that the resulting photographs and three-dimensional images were then used to develop the in-game Call of Duty character ‘Mara’, a fighter who bears striking physical similarities to his character, Cade Janus.