THQ’s bankruptcy and subsequent auctioning off of it’s IPs has been one of the most public displays within the industry of recent memory. As if the former publisher didn’t have enough problems already, numerous creditors are filing millions of dollars worth of claims against the former home to strong franchises such as Darksiders and Saints Row.
Polygon has an extensive list of who’s-suing-for-what, so instead, I’d rather show off the wide variety of claims; ranging from completely valid, to wildly absurd. Take a look at some of these examples:
- Double Fine Productions is claiming $595,000 in royalties related to the THQ–published titles Stacking and Costume Quest as well as money owed for PlayStation Plus promotions.
- The Entertainment Software Association is claiming over $190,000 in damages for booth space reserved for E3 2013 and associated costs related to converting that space to a “lounge area.”
- Christopher Escobedo, a tattoo artist, and his lawyers claim he’s owed $4.16 million. Apparently, this is due to a copyright infringement suit filed over the inclusion of a tattoo he created, which appears in UFC Undisputed 3 on fighter Carlos Condit.
So, as you can see, just about everybody who’s ever had any sort of dealing with THQ would like a bit of extra cash to line their pockets with. Now, many of those included in the full list are legitimate claims. Some, however, seem more than a bit farfetched. I’m no lawyer, and I assume the ESA tried to find a replacement vendor to fill the empty booth space left behind by THQ, but charging them for the conversion of that space into a lounge area seems a little outlandish. Shouldn’t THQ just be charged whatever the rate for renting out the space would have been? As far as the tattoo claim, apparently this is becoming a big deal these days. The artist responsible for creating Mike Tyson’s original facial tattoo sued the folks behind The Hangover 2 for recreating the image without permission. It would seem to me that once the artist is paid for their work by the recipient of a tattoo, that would be the end of it. Otherwise, the artist would have to be compensated every time the athlete, fighter, or whoever, displays the tattoo during a televised event. Perhaps original works are treated differently than “common” images?
Either way, it seems THQ will be stripped clean by the time their legal matters are sorted out. We’ll have to wait until the bankruptcy case ends later next month to find out who is awarded what.
